Abbas has accepted, understood India’s stand at UNHCR: Aide

“President Abbas has accepted and understood that India’s vote was on technical and not political grounds. Our relations are historical, steady and strong,” diplomatic advisor to Abbas, Majdi Khaldi, Said.

“We appreciate India’s steadfast support for the Palestinian cause and are certain that it will continue and we will not be let down in the future at the UN or any other international forum,” he added.

During the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees vote last week, India abstained during voting on a UN report critical of Israel’s offensive in Gaza, a position that generated a lot of enthusiasm in Israel and was seen as a “dramatic” and “significant shift” in India’s policy.

India has, however, maintained that the vote does not mark any shift in its policy on the Palestinian cause.

<g data-gr-id="24">Khaldi</g>, a close aide to Abbas, also expressed hopes that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will accept his invitation and visit Palestine later this year. “We are looking forward to the visit of Foreign Minister (Sushma Swaraj) and Prime Minister Modi later this year. It will go a long way in strengthening our ties,” he said.

Secretary (East) at Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Anil Wadhwa, met Abbas late yesterday evening and has also held discussions with several other Palestinian officials and think-tanks since yesterday.

Palestinian officials said that the Indian official presented a “clear and convincing” logic behind India’s vote which “helped clarify” the issue. Wadhwa is said to have told Abbas that India took a “principled stand” in abstaining at the UNHCR vote on Gaza. Majdi said that the Indian diplomat also clearly conveyed to the Palestinian officials that “there is no change in India’s traditional and longstanding support for the Palestinian cause”.