Israel-Hamas War: Modi Speaks to UAE President, UK PM on Terrorism, Civilian Casualties

‘We agree that there is no place for terror and violence. Death of civilians is a serious concern. Need to work towards regional peace, security, stability and continued humanitarian assistance,’ Modi tweeted about his phone call with Rishi Sunak.

New Delhi: In a diplomatic outreach, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held discussions with United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and United Kingdom (UK) Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, addressing the ongoing West Asia crisis while emphasising concerns about both terrorism and civilian casualties.

On Friday, Modi tweeted that he had a phone call with the UAE leader, where they “exchanged views on the developments in the West Asian region”.

So far, Modi has spoken with four leaders in the region – Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Jordan’s King Hussein, and Egyptian President El-Sisi.

Mirroring the remarks made with the Egyptian leader, the Indian readout of the India-UAE conversation also noted that “both leaders expressed deep concern at terrorism, deteriorating security situation and the loss of civilian lives”.

While the UAE has publicly called for an immediate ceasefire, India has demurred. Instead, New Delhi refers to the need for “an early resolution of the security and humanitarian situation”.

“They emphasised the importance of durable peace, security, and stability in the region,” said the Indian statement.

UAE had been the most prominent Gulf country to sign the Abraham Accords to normalise ties with Israel.

After the October 7 Hamas attacks, the UAE had strongly condemned the killing of civilian lives in Israel and called for the return of the hostages.

However, following the retaliatory airstrikes by Israel which led to massive casualties among Palestinians, it also strongly criticised Israeli actions. As a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, UAE had made multiple requests for meetings on the Gaza violence.

At the end of the UN General Assembly’s emergency session that passed a resolution calling for a humanitarian pause,  UAE representative had scathing words for Israel’s policy of “collective punishment”. “Today, there isn’t a single place or a single person in Gaza who is safe… We will not allow a new Palestinian Nakba,” he said, referring to the displacement of Palestinians from their territories in 1948.

Meanwhile, UAE’s minister of state for foreign affairs Noura al-Kaabi said there is a real risk of “regional spillover and further escalation”, along with the threat of extremist groups taking “advantage of the situation to advance ideologies that will keep us locked in cycles of violence”.

“As we continue working to stop this war we cannot ignore the wider context and the necessity to turn down the regional temperature that is approaching a boiling point,” she said.

Later, Modi also had a conversation with the British PM Rishi Sunak on West Asia. “We agree that there is no place for terror and violence. Death of civilians is a serious concern. Need to work towards regional peace, security, stability and continued humanitarian assistance,” he tweeted.