Modi holds crucial meeting with Palestinian President

New York, Sept 24: Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas here and expressed deep concern at the humanitarian situation in Gaza, reaffirming India’s support for the early restoration of peace and stability in the region.

Modi is in New York on the second leg of his three-day US visit and met the leader on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session on Sunday.

“Met President Mahmoud Abbas in New York. Reiterated India’s support for early restoration of peace and stability in the region. Exchanged views of further strengthening long-standing friendship with the people of Palestine,” Modi said in a post on X.

“PM @narendramodi met H.E. Mahmoud Abbas, President of Palestine, on the sidelines of UNGA today,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X.

Modi “expressed deep concern at the humanitarian situation in Gaza and reaffirmed India’s continued support to the people of Palestine,” the post added.

PM Modi arrived in New York on Saturday after attending the Quad Leaders’ Summit in Wilmington, Delaware, where he also had bilateral discussions with US President Joe Biden.

Modi addressed thousands of members of the Indian-American community at the ‘Modi&US’ mega community event in Long Island Sunday afternoon. He also interacted with the top tech leaders and CEOs of the US in a roundtable conference. Later in the day, he held bilateral discussions with world leaders.

India has underscored its commitment towards a just, peaceful and lasting solution to the Israel-Palestine issue and reiterated that only a two-state solution achieved through direct and meaningful negotiations between both sides will lead to enduring peace.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), citing Ministry of Health in Gaza estimates, has said that between October 7, 2023 and September 16 this year, at least 41,226 Palestinians have been killed and 95,413 injured.

According to the Israeli military and official Israeli sources cited in the media, more than 1,542 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed during this period, the majority on October 7, when Hamas attacked Israel.