Back in 1974, India was the first non-Arab state to recognise the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) as the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. Then in 1988, India was one of the first countries to recognise the Palestinian State. And in 1996, India opened its Representative Office in Gaza (later shifted to Ramallah in 2003). It is this historical support India has provided to the Palestinian people that T.P. Abdulla Koya Madani, the President of Kerala Naduvathul Mujahideen (KNM), hinted at when he urged for a stronger intervention from the Centre in the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict.
He talked about how the state of Israel has been oppressing the Palestinian people for quite some time and went on to say, “But now the situation has turned horrific and the conflict has now stretched into a full-scale war. India should take a strong position to support the rights of Palestinians. Previously, the governments had adopted such an approach. But the present government has to intervene against human rights violations in Palestine when Israel has a good relationship with India. India should ask Israel to refrain from the dreadful attacks against Palestine.”
This sentiment has been echoed by Muslim organisations across Kerala who have sought a stronger intervention from the Centre. While the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and its affiliate Muslim Youth League have condemned the acts of indiscriminate aggression from Israel, M.I. Abdul Aziz, Ameer, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind Kerala chapter said, “Israel has been continuing with its cruelties, violating all international accords. It was continuing airstrikes in residential areas that are killing women and children.”
Muslim leaders from across the country have also issued a joint statement asking the Centre to urge Israel to abstain from aggression against Palestinians. This statement was issued by Syed Sadatullah Husaini (President of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind), Maulana Khaled Saifullah Rahmani (Acting General Secretary of All India Muslim Personal Law Board), Maulana Mahmood Madani (General Secretary of Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind), Dr. Manzoor Alam (General Secretary of All India Milli council), Maulana Sufyan Qasmi from Darul Uloom Deoband Waqf and Maulana Sajjad Nomani.
M.K. Faizy, the national president of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), has also sent letters to the UN Secretary-General and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Secretary-General, requesting them to take immediate initiative and resolve the war-like situation in West Aisa.
If you want to know more about how the current episode of violence in the Israel-Palestine conflict started, here’s a video from The Print that will explain the situation.
And since the news is filled with reports about Hamas, you might be wondering what Hamas is. Here’s another video from The Print that will give you some clarity.
And if you want to know about the history of the Israel-Palestine conflict, here is a video that gives you a brief summary.
Given the sensitive and complex nature of this conflict, there is a lot of misinformation and fake news out there. So here’s something that might come in handy: LEARN TO SPOT FAKE NEWS BY PLAYING THIS GAME
