When Palestine Ambassador Told Outlook What India Means To His Country And People

October 7 is a fact; no one can deny it. It [Hamas attack on Israel in 2023] happened. But what exactly happened on October 7, no one yet knows. What exactly happened...or how it happened. 

We have two schools of thought when it comes to this unfortunate event—our argument is that it was an unfortunate event—but also, we cannot analyse it, see it, or watch it through the Israeli or Zionist lenses. You should see the issue through its historical perspective.

We cannot talk about the Indian Revolution in 1857 without tackling the more than 200 years [of East India Company rule and wars] before that. Otherwise, we will go on to accept the British narrative regarding that event.

We will not accept, as Palestinians—as Indians we should not accept—classifying the Palestinian people as terrorists. Otherwise, you [as Indians] had already been classified [as terrorists]. Your ancestors had been classified as terrorists and hanged to death. So, India and Palestine have shared history.

The rationalist school of thought says that you cannot discuss any issue based on an analysis of [just its] symptoms, without tackling the root causes.

Just looking at October 7th as an isolated day—as if it is the first day of the creation of the galaxy itself—is completely against the rationalist school of thought. 

Palestinians will not accept the murder of [Indian independence movement revolutionary] Bhagat Singh. We cannot, as Palestinians at least, accept that the United Kingdom murdered him...that he was hanged to death. For us, he is a martyr, just like Mahatma Gandhi, and all of those apprehended [by the British]. We cannot accept the United Kingdom's narrative [on India's freedom movement].

This is a very important issue. It is talked about as if this [genocide] is a 'just right' of Israel. What about India [under British colonialism]? What about the Palestinian people? Did they have the right to defend themselves? Those who used to be killed in broad daylight—did they have any security concerns? Did they have the right to liberate themselves? This is very important, but it is a question no one has yet asked.

The media put [out] some pre-organised slogans: ‘The Israeli legitimate security concern’... And they're asking us, the Palestinians, the demilitarised people [about] this concern. [Palestine is] a demilitarised state. Even then, because of the ‘Israeli legitimate security concern’, we [are told that we] should guarantee their security—Israel is ranked 15th worldwide in terms of military power. So, the media again played an unfair role by not questioning such slogans. 

When it comes to India, I believe that here, as Palestinian people, in this particular culture, in particular among the Hindu people, and Indian people in general, who have mercy for even insects [as living creatures], that they are our people.

And yet, the media did not give us the chance to tell them [our side] because none of them will accept seeing an amputated child crying on the ground of a hospital…

To some extent, when I assumed office seven months ago, I did not succeed in reaching out to the media in India and faced some challenges. And the media itself, to some extent, did not succeed. I will not say that they are not playing their fair role or that they succeeded in reaching the Israeli ambassador to put [out] his story...the majority of them did not reach out to him.

However, let me remind you that India was one of the champions that helped establish the principle of ‘No one is safe until everyone is safe’ at the United Nations.

India strongly defended [this principle]. It dug in its heels with many others. India was [also] a key player to put in place the principle that ‘no one should be left behind.’ You, the Indian people, are the champions [of both principles].

You, the Indian people, are the champions [of both principles].