India ‘very well-positioned’ to act as mediator’ between Israel, Palestine: Palestinian foreign minister

Palestinian minister Shahin arrived in India for the second India-Arab Foreign Ministers' Meeting, co-chaired by India and United Arab Emirates

Published on: Jan 30, 2026, 02:46:07 IST

By HT News Desk

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Palestine on Thursday highlighted India's position as a “friend to both Palestine and Israel”, while seeking the country's active participation as a mediator.

India is a great country, and it can play a great role," Shahin said. (AP)

Palestinian minister of foreign affairs and expatriates Varsen Aghabekian Shahin, while talking to PTI Videos, said India, who has balanced ties with both Palestine and Israel, is “very well positioned to act as a mediator, interlocutor.”

Shahin arrived in India for the second India-Arab Foreign Ministers' Meeting, co-chaired by India and United Arab Emirates. The meeting, with participation from all 22 Arab League members, will take place on January 31.

“India is a great country, and it can play a great role. Being a friend to both Palestine and Israel puts it in a place where it can be a bridge for both countries,” PTI quoted Shahin as saying. The Palestinian foreign minister further said that the country wanted to “forge peace” – “a peace that reflects the respect of both people, the respect of international law and whatever is enshrined in international law.”

Would like India to continue with ‘humanitarian assistance’, says Palestinian FM

Shahin also expressed her gratitude for India's humanitarian and development assistance to Palestinians, and its support to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

“We look forward to India's active participation. We would like it to continue with its humanitarian assistance, not only in Gaza and the West Bank, but also towards UNRWA,” PTI cited Shahin as saying.

The Palestinian minister flagged the urgency for reconstruction in Gaza. “…You have 2 million people who are without shelters... The first thing they would need is a decent shelter, water, and basic services,” Shahin said, adding that the whole world should contribute “in one way or another”.

The foreign minister also appealed to New Delhi and other countries to look at the situation objectively.

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