An External Affairs Ministry delegation led by Foreign Secretar🍬y Vikram Misri told a parliamentary panel on Friday that nearly 30,000 Indians are estimated to be staying in Israel, sources said.
About 9,000 construction workers and 700 farm workers have gone there as part of an𝓀 agreement inked between the two countries before the conflict in West Asia broke out, they said, adding that they ministry highlighted its efforts to help the Indians living there.
In the presentation, the ministry reiterated India's position voiced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi that it wants the crisis to beᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ defused through talks.
They added that some members in the meeting of the Standing Committee headed by Congress member Shashi Tharoor also raised the issues of recent agreement reached between India and Chi🐓na to address the border crisis in Ladakh sector and the plunge in India-Canada ties.
Officials made short remarks on the two iss💙ue in the meeting whose primary agenda was Mis👍ri's briefing on the "Israel-Palestine Conflict".
Tharoor said later that it was a "very good discussiꩵon".
An opposition MP, they added, asked if India had shown biases for Israel in this confl♏ict.
However, the delegation in its presentation gave details of India's humanitarian aid to the Palestinian authorities and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency t🐼o help Palestinian refugees.
Misri spoke of India's ties with Israel as well as Palestine, noting that Modi has been in touch with Israeli count🅷er B♋enjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority head Mahmoud Abbas.
Modi has condemned the Hamas's brutal ൲targeting of Israeli civilians on October 7, 2023 and has also expressed con⛦cerns at civilian casualties in a hospital in Palestine, the delegation said in its presentation.
India stands for two-state solution reached through talks to end the crisis, it said,🌊 noting that the country was among the first nations to recognise Palestine.
The presentation said India evacua🦩ted over 1,300 Indian citizens and also some Nepalese from Israel following the war as part of 'Operation Ajay'.
Misri also spoke on recent agreement between India and China over the border patrolling and disengagement of troops from Line of Act🎃ual Control in Eastern Ladakh.
The ministry said that the India-China agreement will restore the situation which prevailed prior to the border crisis 🌠in 2020, sources said.
