India's growing relationship with Israel is not at the the expense of New Delhi's traditional commitment to the Palestinian cause, a top Indian diplomat has said while attempting to give a push to the West Asia peace process.
"I have made it very clear to the Israelis that our growing relationship with them is not at the expense of our commitment to the Palestinian cause. They (Israelis) have no difficulty with that," said Chinmaya Gharekhan, India's special envoy to West Asia.
"We want to reiterate our strong commitment for the cause of Palestine. And since we support the inalienable rights of the Palestinians, we want to explore what India can do, if anything at all, in pushing forward the Middle East peace process," the diplomat said on a visit to Saudi Arabia.
On India's close ties with both the Palestinians and the Israelis, the envoy said, "Both parties, the Palestinians as well as the Israelis, certainly feel very happy that we have good relations with them."
He said despite the political uncertainty among the various Palestinian factions, there is still hope for the setting up of an independent Palestinian state.
"You can't afford to be a pessimist. One has to keep hope alive, most of all, the Palestinian people do," said Gharekhan, who is touring West Asia to express India's support for the peace process in the region.
"If they give up hope, then there is nothing left for them except maybe more violence. And we have seen violence does not get anywhere," he said.
"But as of now, everyone tells me that there is a window of opportunity. There is a set of circumstances in today's world that gives us some reason to expect something good," the envoy was quoted as saying by the Arab News in Jeddah.
