Iranian ambassador to India Iraj Elahi said Wednesday that the country’s nuclear activity is used “as a pretext to launch attacks” while Palestinian ambassador Abdullah M Abu Shawesh said that the “cause of Palestine is the cause of our shared humanity”.
The ambassadors were speaking at a seminar titled “Voices of Conscience: a solidarity gathering for Palestine” in Delhi organised by groups Indian Muslim for Civil Rights and India Palestine Friendship Forum.
Elahi said, “… while the Iranian government was preparing for the sixth rounds of talks regarding its peaceful nuclear programme, Israel launched missiles on us… this was a blatant violation of international law. The Israeli regime has a long history of aggression right from 1948.”
“Israel is not even a member of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Iranian nuclear facilities have been destroyed. We are part of the NPT, and have no nuclear weapons. They use the nuclear activity of Iran as a pretext to launch attacks. We in Iran are paying the cost for our support for Palestine. Nuclear activity is just an excuse… Iran was the best friend of Israel at one point. We were the intermediary between Egypt and Israel,” Elahi said.
“… It wasn’t Iran that requested or approached the US for a ceasefire. Our strike was precise and well calculated. It was Israel which approached the US. Iran was ready for the continuation of war,” he said.
During the event, Shawesh said, “The cause of Palestine is the cause of our shared humanity. India was the champion in G7. No one should be left behind, India said. For 642 days, we have been left behind. This unwillingness of the international community has cost us 100,000 lives. We have copied you Indians in your military resistance of 1857.”
“What is happening in Gaza is worse than the Nazi Holocaust. 77 years ago, 7.5 lakh Palestinians lost their lands, their homes in the most cruel and hideous manner… A child born in Gaza today will know trauma more than rather than playing with toys,” said former Delhi L-G Najeeb Jung.
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Former Union Minister Mani Shanker Aiyyar and former External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid also spoke at the event.
