India’s largest civil society organizations held a protest in New Delhi on Sunday demanding that the government take a firm stand against the latest Israeli onslaught on civilians in Gaza.
Scores of Palestinian civilians are being killed every day in the ongoing bombardment of the densely populated enclave following an attack on Israel by the Gaza-based militant group Hamas last week.
A week into the Israeli offensive, at least 2,215 people, including 724 children, have been killed by airstrikes, the Gaza Ministry of Health said. More than 6,000 bombs have been dropped, it added, with most hitting residential buildings, hospitals and places of worship.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi initially offered unequivocal support for Israel, but the government tweaked its official stance on Thursday, saying it had always backed “negotiations towards establishing a sovereign, independent and viable state of Palestine.”
Despite pressure, it has not yet commented on the situation in Gaza, however. Arun Kumar, secretary-general of the All India Peace and Solidarity Organization, which organized Saturday’s protest and is one of the oldest Indian NGOs, said that New Delhi’s approach went against its foreign policy and the country’s own historical struggle for freedom. Kumar believes India must make a clear stand and use its position in the UN to exert influence on Tel Aviv.
“So far, India has been maintaining silence on the indiscriminate attack. They have to say that this is wrong. I want this government to take an unequivocal stand against the attacks,” he told Arab News. “Mahatma Gandhi, when he was leading the (Indian) freedom struggle, explicitly stated that as India is for Indians, Britain is for Britons, France belongs to the French, and Palestine to Palestinians.”
There were 15 NGOs represented at the New Delhi demonstration, ranging from rights groups, trade unions, and student and youth associations, to women’s organizations.
“All of them have come together today to con-demn the attacks of Israel on Gaza and demand that UN resolutions (on Palestine) be respected. Israel should immediately put a stop to these attacks. Not only that, the pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as the capital (of Palestine) and the right to return of the Palestinians to their homeland should be restored,” Kumar said.—AFP
