Gaza situation : Govt stand highly disturbing

External affairs minister Ms Sushma Swaraj’s refusal to debate the Gaza situation in Parliament on Wednesday is highly disturbing.

The government’s silence at this crucial juncture violates the well settled principles of Indian foreign policy. It raises serious questions about the dangerous direction in which the Narendra Modi government appears to be taking the country’s foreign policy.

The government’s silence on the atrocities being committed in Gaza have lowered India’s standin

​g in the international community.

Earlier the UPA and now the NDA government, both have shown a gradual tilt towards Israel,

​but the latest action of the UPA government has hit a new low

.

The all-out assault by the Israeli military, especially the air force, on Palestinian civilians in Gaza, is a gross violation of international human rights norms and instruments including the Geneva conventions.

While we deplore the killing of three Israeli settlers, this can be no excuse for the rampant killing of Palestinian civilians, with the toll rising above 150. We call on the UN, the UN Human Rights Council, and other international bodies, to intervene and stop this bloodbath.

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Currrently, the Palestinian people are living under an oppressive military rule. It is clear, as recommended by various international bodies including those affiliated to the UN, that the demand for an independent and unified Palestine is an urgent necessity.

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The Aam Aadmi Party is of the firm view that India should not resile from its earlier principled position on Palestine. The government should come forward to give all possible humanitarian aid to Palestine.

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The government must seek action against Israel’s repeated and widespread violations of human rights. It must stop purchasing arms from Israel, as these revenues appear to be used to oppress and subordinate the Palestine people. It should support the demand for an independent Palestine.