Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: The ministry of external affairs on Friday said the United Nations joint statement India signed was not a “negotiated document” that condemned Israel’s West Bank expansion.The foreign ministry said New Delhi’s stand on the expansion issue was already expressed in the India-Arab League Ministerial meeting that laid out a broader vision for deeper two-way ties, pitched for a sovereign and viable Palestine state living side-by-side with Israel. The meeting had also stressed the need for conducting international relations based on the UN charter.“The statement referred to was not a negotiated document. Our position on this particular issue was expressed in the India-Arab League Ministerial meeting joint statement,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.The bureaucrat’s statement broadly implies that India did not participate in drafting or agreeing to that specific joint statement condemning Israel’s West Bank expansion. Therefore, it does not reflect India’s formally agreed diplomatic position.India was among more than 100 countries and international organisations that condemned Israel’s ongoing efforts to consolidate control over the West Bank in a joint statement at the UN, saying such measures violated international law and undermined the ongoing efforts for peace and stability in the region.India endorsed the statement late on Wednesday, just before the deadline for joint condemnation lapsed. The statement comes ahead of PM Narendra Modi’s visit to Israel next week, during which he’s also likely to address the Israeli Parliament.“We strongly condemn unilateral Israeli decisions and measures aimed at expanding Israel’s unlawful presence in the West Bank,” the statement said. “Such decisions are contrary to Israel’s obligations under international law and must be immediately reversed,” it said.It strongly opposed any form of annexation. “We reiterate our rejection of all measures aimed at altering the demographic composition, character and status of the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem,” it added.
