Building support for Palestinians in India

Lily

B.R
Staff member
Mumbai: India's determination to support Palestine's bid for full membership of the United Nations as a state has become the driving force for several organisations to start a solidarity network across the country to create awareness of the Palestinian struggle.

"The struggle for the Palestinian quest for statehood has once again reached the centre stage of global politics and continues to be debated across capitals of the world," said Feroze Mithiborwala, President of the Palestine Foundation, an organisation that has been highlighting the issue for several years. But, "now that the UN statehood process has generated a new political awakening, sympathy and solidarity the world over, it has also strengthened various movements across nations," said Mithiborwala.

He was speaking at a discussion on the UN Palestine Statehood Vote, the Implications of the US Veto and Indian Foreign Policy, at the Marathi Patrakar Sangh yesterday. The meeting was presided over by eminent Supreme Court lawyer Yousuf Muchala. Activists are calling it a ‘historic moment for Palestine,' he said, "We need to do all that we can to ensure that the pressure is built in every major city and town across India to build up public opinion in favour of Palestine."

Spreading falsehoods

Mithiborwala said it was vital to spread the story of Israel's repressive policies and the Palestinians' long battle for independence before the Zionist lobby began to spread falsehoods among the Indian people.

He said: "In order to create this awareness, these organisations will hold public meetings and also plan marches to the Israeli and American embassies to express their anger and opposition to the US veto at the UN Security Council."

Various organisations and movements in the country have come under the umbrella of India Palestine People's Solidarity Forum. The Asian People's Solidarity for Palestine, an alliance of various organisations in 17 Asian countries, have even supported the struggle by providing volunteers, materials and resources.

The Asian Forum has passed a resolution to reinforce the boycott of Israeli products and financial divestment from companies directly implicated in the occupation and/or Israeli industries. Mithiborwala added: "We will oppose our own government's decisions and actions that give economic, financial, military and diplomatic support to Israel and allow it to behave with impunity."
 
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