On Al-Aqsa Violence, India Urges ‘All Sides’ to Maintain Calm

The Ministry of External Affairs’ statement did not make any explicit adverse remarks on Israel, which is largely in line with New Delhi’s close ties with Tel Aviv.

New Delhi: After the Israeli police raided the Al-Aqsa mosque and retaliatory rockets were fired from Gaza, India on Thursday said that “all sides” should maintain calm.

Early on Wednesday, Israeli police conducted a raid on the holiest site in Jerusalem, where police claimed Palestinians had barricaded themselves inside. At least 31 Palestinians were reportedly injured inside and just outside the mosque complex. This triggered a rocket fire from Gaza. Israel then launched air raids on Gaza and Lebanon.

Asked for a comment on the reported violence in Al-Aqsa mosque, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, “At this sensitive time, we would urge all sides to maintain calm.” His statement did not make any explicit adverse remarks on Israel, which is largely in line with New Delhi’s close ties with Tel Aviv.

He added that India’s position on the Palestine question “has been clear and consistent”. “We are committed to supporting all efforts…to resume direct negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians to achieve a two-state solution.”

At the 52nd session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva that ended on Tuesday, there were four regular resolutions tabled that were critical of Israel. In line with its previous voting patterns, India had abstained on one resolution and voted in favour of the other three resolutions.

On Thursday, UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory Francesca Albanese condemned recent action by the Israeli forces, including the violence at Al-Aqsa. “As Palestinian Muslims gathered for Ramadan prayers exercising their right to worship in Al-Aqsa Mosque, Israeli authorities used blatantly excessive and unjustified force against them,” Albanese said.

“The well-known desire of Israeli settlers to either destroy the mosque or forcibly convert all or part of the compound into a synagogue, as happened to the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, is a source of deep anxiety among Palestinians,” she continued. “…Over the years, Israel has not ceased its violent attacks against Palestinian worshippers at Al-Aqsa Mosque in violation of international law.”

Human Rights Watch too condemned the Israeli police’s decision to enter Al-Aqsa and use violence against those inside.