Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday reiterated India's "unwavering support to the Palestinian cause" on the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people, an annual United Nations-organised observance.
"On the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people, I reiterate India's unwavering support to the Palestinian cause," PM Modi said in a statement.
"India's ties with the friendly people of Palestine are rooted in our common history. We have always supported the Palestine people in their pursuit of economic and social development with dignity and self reliance," he added. "We are hopeful that direct talks between the Palestinian and Israeli sides will resume to find a comprehensive and negotiated solution."
In October this year, India presented a cheque of USD 2.5 million, part of the annual USD 5 million support pledged to Palestine, to a UN agency that will directly benefit schools and health centres to support Palestinian refugees.
Since 2018, India has given USD 22.5 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
"On behalf of the Government and the people of India, I extend my best wishes to the people of the State of Palestine in their journey to achieve statehood, peace and prosperity," PM Modi said in the statement.
India-Palestine relations stretch back nearly half a century. In 1974, India became the first non-Arab nation to recognise the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO). Fourteen years later, India was among a few countries to recognise the Palestine State. Diplomatic relations with Palestine increased in 1996 when India opened a Representative Office in Gaza, which was later shifted to Ramallah in 2003.
