India on Thursday welcomed the signing of the Abraham Accords by the US, Israel, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and reiterated its call for direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians for a “two-state solution”.
US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu joined the foreign ministers of Bahrain and the UAE for the signing of the historic agreements aimed at normalising relations between Israel and the Arab countries.
They came almost 26 years after the signing of a declaration for a peace deal between Israel and Jordan.
“We have followed the Abraham Accords signed in Washington DC by the UAE, Bahrain, Israel and the US. As I have said earlier, India has always supported peace and stability in West Asia, which is our extended neighbourhood,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava told a weekly news briefing.
“As such, we welcome these agreements for normalisation of relations between Israel and the UAE and Bahrain,” he added.
Srivastava reflected the fine balance struck by India in its ties with Israel and the Arab states when he said that New Delhi will “also continue our traditional support for the Palestinian cause”.
India, he said, hopes for the “early resumption of direct negotiations for an acceptable two-state solution”.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi became the first Indian premier to visit Israel, with which India has forged strong ties in the fields of defence, technology and trade. At the same time, the Modi government has worked assiduously to court Arab countries in West Asia, which is home to some eight million expatriates and a key source of energy.
Under the Abraham Accords, the UAE and Bahrain will normalise their relations with Israel and expand engagements in politics, security, trade and connectivity. More Arab states are expected to ink similar agreements with Israel, while some countries such as Saudi Arabia have said they stand with the Palestinian people and sought a comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue.
