New Delhi: India on Wednesday condemned “all acts of violence” but specifically criticised rocket attacks from Gaza at an emergency closed-door session of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) called to discuss the recent breaking out of hostilities in Gaza.

The 15-member UNSC met for the second time in two days to discuss the escalating crisis in a closed-door emergency session, called at the request of Norway, Tunisia and Council president China.

On Monday, the Council had first met, where the 15 members states were briefed by the secretary-general’s special coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Tor Wennesland.

The latest meeting takes place following the dramatic increase in Hamas rocket launches and Israeli airstrikes.There were no official statements released after the morning meeting, but India’s permanent representative to the UN, T.S. Tirumurti, tweeted the critical points of his remarks. 

In his tweet, Tirumurti stated that India condemned “all acts of violence, especially rocket attacks from Gaza”.

https://twitter.com/ambtstirumurti/status/1392485829889642497

The holy city of East Jerusalem had been tense for weeks, but violence broke out on May 8, triggered by attempts to evict Palestinian families living in the Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan neighbourhoods. This led to a protest at the Al-Aqsa mosque, where thousands had gathered to pray on the last Friday of the month of Ramzan.

With Israeli police using strong-armed tactics to break up the protests, more than 220 people, mostly Palestinians, were injured. The Palestinians hurled stones and bottles at the Israeli security personnel, who shot at the crowd with rubber-coated bullets, tear gas and stun grenades. The protest eventually expanded across Jerusalem, West Bank and in Arab dominated villages in Israel.

This week, Islamist group Hamas, which is in control of the Gaza strip, fired rockets into Israel, demanding the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Temple Mount and Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood.

In retaliation, Israel conducted airstrikes on Gaza, killing 20 people, including nine children, as per Palestinian authorities.At least three people were killed in the rocket attacks, including an Indian national working in Israel.

During the UNSC meeting, Tirumurti mentioned the “tragic demise” of Soumya Santosh, a 30-year-old native of Kerala, who worked as a caregiver in Ashkelon.

Calling for immediate de-escalation, Tirumurti also urged the two sides to refrain “from changing status-quo”. The mention of status-quo was about the attempted eviction of Palestinian families in East Jerusalem, officials confirmed.

At the first meeting on Monday, Tirumurti had said that India was “deeply concerned” at the violence at the Temple Mount complex. He also added that India was “equally concerned about evictions in Sheikh Jarrah & Silwan neighbourhoods”. He had also condemned the rocket attack from Gaza.

Rescue workers search for victims amid rubble at the site of Israeli air strikes, in Gaza City May 16, 2021. 

He had also reiterated adherence to UNSC resolution 2334, which called for advancing negotiations to reach a two-state solution.

As per the last formal discussion in Security Council on the Palestine issue in April, India’s official position is for a “negotiated two-state solution” that “should fulfil Palestinian aspirations for statehood and sovereignty, meet Israel’s security needs,  and resolve all final status issues.”

As the exchange of fire between Hamas and Israel continued to rise, UN envoy Tor Wenneland warned that there was danger of “full scale war”. “Leaders on all sides have to take the responsibility of de-escalation. The cost of war in Gaza is devastating & is being paid by ordinary people. UN is working w/ all sides to restore calm. Stop the violence now,” he posted on his official Twitter account.

Reuters reported on Tuesday that the Security Council delayed the issuance of a public statement on the situation after the US felt that “it could be harmful to behind-the-scenes efforts to end the violence”. 

The United States has asserted that Israel had a right to self-defence from Hamas rocket attacks, which secretary of state Anthony Blinken reiterated in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He added, “Palestinians need to be able to live in safety and security”.