India continued its delicate act of balancing its excellent ties with Israel to its historical commitment to the Palestinian cause even as the world reacted in shock over the Rafah attack.

As the war in Gaza continues to drag on, the rising casualties in Gaza have caused many nations to criticise Israel. The latest being the attack on Rafah on 25 May in which at least 45 people were killed and 200 others injured after the Israeli strike hit a camp for displaced people. This has led to condemnation by many world leaders.

India termed the incident ‘heartbreaking’ and said: “The heartbreaking loss of civilian lives in the displacement camp in Rafah is a matter of deep concern. We have consistently called for protection of the civilian population and respect for international humanitarian law in the ongoing conflict. We also note that the Israeli side has already accepted responsibility for it as a tragic accident and announced an investigation into the incident,” said Randhir Jaiswal, the Spokesman of India’s Ministry of External Affairs.

For New Delhi, the ongoing conflict in Gaza has seen it having to balance its interests and concerns in a very delicate fashion. While India was among the first countries to condemn the horrific attack by Hamas on 7 Oct last year, New Delhi also quickly followed up with a reassurance that its stand committed to a two-state solution for peace in the region.

“We have long supported a two-state solution, which entails the establishment of a sovereign, viable, and independent state of Palestine within recognised and mutually agreed borders, living side by side with Israel in peace,” said Jaiswal when asked about the move by Ireland, Norway and Spain.

India is currently at the end of an election cycle, and it is unlikely that there will be any major changes in India’s policies to both Israel and Palestine. The engagement with the Middle East is likely to continue with a greater focus on economic and strategic ties. – Simran Sodhi is Executive Editor of nrifocus.com