Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi on Thursday said that India believes in its long-standing support for the establishment of a “sovereign, independent and viable” state of Palestine.

“Our policy has been longstanding and consistent. India always advocated the resumption of direct negotiations towards establishing a sovereign, independent and viable state of Palestine, living within secure and recognised borders, side by side at peace with Israel. I think that position remains the same,” Bagchi said.

When asked about the ‘humanitarian situation in Israel and Gaza’, Bagchi said that there was a universal obligation to observe humanitarian law. “There is also the responsibility to fight the menace of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,” he added.

When Bagchi was asked if India would be providing help to Israel in the form of weaponry, he said, “Right now, our main focus is to get Indians from Israel back safely.”