Parliamentary panel discusses Israel-Palestine crisis, LAC disengagement
Officials announced that the disengagement of front-line soldiers in eastern Ladakh is moving ahead at a brisk pace and is expected to be over by October 28-29.
A presentation on the Israel-Palestine conflict by foreign secretary Vikram Misri and questions on the ongoing disengagement along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) dominated the nearly two-hour meeting of the standing committee on external affairs on Friday.
Misri and the two attending joint secretaries including MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal were asked some tough questions about India’s position on Palestine and then about China, people familiar with the matter told HT. While the members were advised not to discuss details of the briefing due to the sensitivity of the subject matter, the MPs did clarify that the diplomats “spoke frankly and the atmosphere was cordial”.
Also read | India-China disengagement begins at Depsang and Demchok
An MP asked why Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping did not issue a joint statement after a meeting in Kazan. Misri, according to two MPs that HT spoke with, indicated that it wasn’t always possible, and that China had taken the call to not issue the statement.
The briefing came soon after officials announced that the disengagement of front-line Indian and Chinese soldiers from Depsang and Demchok in eastern Ladakh is moving ahead at a brisk pace and is expected to be over by October 28-29.
The most repeated question at the meeting, however, was why India had abstained 20 times from a UN vote on Gaza. The MPs also sought to know why there was no public condemnation of the humanitarian crisis in Israel-Palestine, with at least 6,000 women and 11,000 children dead in Gaza in the conflict that has stretch on for 12 months.
“He gave technical answers,” said one of the MPs quoted above, reiterating India’s stand that while the government condemns acts of terrorism and hostage-taking, they are pained by the continuing death of innocent civilians. He also reiterated India’s support for a ceasefire as soon as possible.
Also read | Cong raises questions on LAC disengagement
One other member raised an Al Jazeera story about alleged arms export from India to Israel that is being used in the Gaza war. The foreign secretary was candid enough to acknowledge in the meeting that while there was no such export, the report may be referring to the export of some components.
The MPs appreciated the fact that Misri took all their questions, even the sensitive ones. The committee’s proceedings went off peacefully, unlike the other meetings this week of the Waqf committee and the one on the Public Accounts Committee which saw things turn hostile between the government and opposition members.
