New Delhi: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that there was a seven-point “convergence” among G-20 leaders about the Hamas-Israel war, including the need for a two-state solution, even as he hoped that the ongoing conflict will not escalate into a regional conflagration.
Meanwhile, the issue of Ukraine was also discussed, with Russian President Vladimir Putin urging measures to halt the unfolding “tragedy”, which observers claimed was his most conciliatory remarks in recent times on the Ukraine war.
Modi chaired the last G20 meeting of the year-long rotating Indian presidency, joining leaders across the globe in a virtual conference. India will be handing over the presidency to Brazil on December 1.
Among the major leaders, US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak did not participate. Chinese President Xi Jinping, who had also not travelled to India for the summit, was also missing. However, another notable absentee at the Delhi summit, Putin, took part in the virtual conference.
‘Death of civilians condemnable’
In his opening remarks, Modi said that new challenges have arisen since the Delhi summit in September. “The situation of insecurity and instability in the West Asia region is a matter of concern for all of us. Our coming together today symbolizes that we are sensitive to all issues and stand together to resolve them. We believe that terrorism is unacceptable to all of us. The death of civilians, wherever they happen, is condemnable,” he said.
On October 7, Hamas launched a terror attack from Gaza into Israel, killing over 1,400 people and taking scores of hostages. In retaliation, Israel launched air strikes, followed by ground operations inside Gaza which has killed over 13,000 people.
After six weeks of continuous violence, the Israeli government and Hamas announced a day ago, on November 22, that they have reached a deal for the release of 50 hostages for 150 Palestinian prisoners, along with a humanitarian ‘pause’ for at least four days.
Welcoming the news about the hostage deal, Modi said that he hoped that all hostages were released and that there was “timely and continuous delivery of humanitarian aid”.
“It is also important to ensure that the war between Israel and Hamas does not take any regional form,” he added.
At the conclusion of the virtual summit which lasted over three hours, Modi said that after hearing all the leaders, there was “convergence” (sahmati) on many issues related to the conflict in West Asia at the G20.
He listed seven points on which there was commonality of views, ranging from zero tolerance of terrorism to declaring that the deaths of “innocent people”, especially women and children, was “not acceptable”.
Stating that diplomacy and dialogue was the only way, Modi also cited a permanent ‘two-state solution’ to the Israel-Palestine dispute as part of the “convergence”.
“The G20 is ready to provide all support in this,” said Modi.
‘No G20 proposal on West Asia as such’
Later, external affairs minister S. Jaishankar said, “Was there a G20 proposal (on West Asia) as such? No,” adding that there was universal welcome for Wednesday’s announcement of a hostage release deal.
In answer to another query at the media briefing, Jaishankar said that while the majority of the leaders had batted for the two-state solution, “I can’t say there was a consensus on the two-state solution”.
“This whole idea spillover…honestly, I would say the focus is right now on ensuring that it doesn’t even spill over to beyond where it is,” he told reporters.
‘Military operations are always a tragedy’
Besides West Asia, the Ukraine war also figured, especially with Russian President Putin addressing the G20 meeting for the first time after Russia’s invasion in 2022.
“Some of our colleagues here have mentioned that they are shocked by ‘Russia’s ongoing aggression in Ukraine.’ Indeed, military operations are always a tragedy for specific people, specific families, and the country as a whole. And we must certainly think about how to stop this tragedy,” he remarked.
He also asserted that Russia “has never refused to negotiate peace with Ukraine”.
“It is not Russia, but Ukraine that has publicly announced that it is withdrawing from the negotiation process. Moreover, the country’s leader signed an executive order prohibiting such negotiations with Russia,” stated Putin.
According to Reuters, the remarks at the G-20 virtual meeting were “one of Putin’s most dovish on the war for months and contrasts with his sometimes long diatribes about the failings and arrogance of the United States”.
