SRINAGAR: Amidst the ongoing turmoil in the Middle East, former Chief Minister and PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti took to Twitter to voice her concerns about the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
She expressed her dismay, saying, “Unfortunate that it takes such death & destruction for the world to awaken to the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Deafening silence is maintained year after year as innocent Palestinians are murdered & their homes destroyed. Today, just because the shoe is on the other foot and pinching, so-called democracies are outraged. This selective outrage is criminal to say the least. Resolve Palestine so that peace prevails.”
The backdrop to Mufti’s statement is a deeply unsettling series of events unfolding in the Gaza Strip of Palestine, where Hamas and Israeli forces are locked in a deadly cycle of attacks and counterattacks. The situation had already claimed numerous lives, sparking fears of further escalation.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) joined the chorus of condemnation by issuing a statement that strongly denounced the ongoing violence. Their statement targeted the Israeli government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for what they saw as indiscriminate occupation of Palestinian lands and the establishment of Jewish settlements in the West Bank. The grim statistics revealed that prior to the current conflict, 248 Palestinian lives, including 40 children, had already been lost during the year.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) went further, calling upon the United Nations to safeguard the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people. They demanded the establishment of a homeland for Palestinians, the withdrawal of all Israeli illegal settlements, and an end to the occupation of Palestinian territories. Their emphasis was on the implementation of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution, envisioning a two-nation solution with East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine.
The urgency of the situation prompted a plea to the UN and the international community, including the government of India, to act swiftly. The statement called for an immediate ceasefire in the conflict and urged the international community to take concrete steps towards implementing the UN resolution.
Jammu Kashmir National Conference Chief, Farooq Abdullah, while addressing the media, underscored the devastating consequences of war, emphasizing the loss of lives it brings and its destructive impact on all parties involved. Expressing his frustration, he pointed out the United Nations’ failure to resolve the longstanding Palestinian issue.
