GAZA – Indian PM Narendra Modi who is currently touring West Asia, was onSaturday conferred with the ‘Grand Collar’ of the State of Palestine.
Ther award was bestowed on him by Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas inrecognition of his contribution to strengthening the age-old relationshipbetween India and Palestine.
The award was conferred on PM Modi after the conclusion of a bilateralmeeting with President Abbas.
Commendation of Grand Collar read,”in recognition of his wise leadership,lofty national and international stature, in appreciation of his effortsto promote historic relations between Palestine and India; inacknowledgement of his support to our people’s right to freedom so thatpeace prevails in region”
The Grand Collar is Palestine’s highest order given to foreign dignitaries.
PM Narendra Modi had arrived in Ramallah this morning on a historic visit,which made him the first Indian Prime Ministerlink>tomake an official visit to Palestine.
PM Modi flew in a Jordanian army helicopter straight from Amman toRamallah, where he was received by his Palestinian counterpart RamiHamdallah.
Prime Minister Modi’s chopper was escorted by choppers from Israel AirForce.
“This is a historic visit that will lead to stronger bilateralcooperation,” Modi said shortly after landing.
The Prime Minister, accompanied by Hamdallah, visited the Mausoleum ofYasser Arafat in Ramallah and laid a wreath at the grave of the iconicPalestinian leader.
The mausoleum was unveiled on November 10, 2007, and is located adjacent tothe Palestinian Presidential compound, also known as Muqata’a here.
After paying homage to Arafat, the Prime Minister took a short tour of theArafat Museum located adjacent to the mausoleum.
Later, President Abbas received Prime Minister Modilink>inan official ceremony at the presidential headquarters in Ramallah beforestarting official talks.
The two leaders exchanged hugs and stood for the national anthem of the twocountries and then inspected the guard of honour. They shook hand withPalestinian and Indian officials.
The two leaders then stepped inside the presidential office for officialtalks.
After the talks, they will sign bilateral agreements, hold a joint pressconference and share lunch before Modi leaves for Amman in a chopper.
Archbishop of Catholic Church, Poulos Marcuzzo, and religious leaders ofthe Al-Aqsa mosque have also come to the Muqata’a to greet Modi.
Describing India as a “very respected country in the international arena”,the 82-year-old Palestinian President had earlier said that India can havea possible role in creating a multilateral forum of negotiations betweenthe Palestinians and Israelis to reach a final agreement.
According to Abbas, Modi’s visit to the region reflects India’s long-heldposition of supporting peace and stability in the region.
During his maiden visit to Israel last year, Modi did not travel to Ramallahlink>,the Palestinian seat of government. His standalone visit to Israel had ledto many analysts questioning the future of the Indo-Palestine ties.
This time Modi skipped Israel in a clear message that India isde-hyphenating its ties with Israel and Palestine.
Modi’s visit to Palestine comes amid heightened tensions in the regionafter US President Donald Trump recognised Jerusalem as the capital ofIsrael.
The unilateral US decision to declare Jerusalem as the capital of Israelwas challenged at the UN General Assembly where 128 nations, includingIndia, voted to turn down the move as “null and void”.
Trump’s decision to declare Jerusalem as Israel’s capital angered thePalestinians, sparked protests in the Middle East and raised concern thatit could further destabilise the region.
Though India has shied away from becoming a party in the Israel-Palestinianconflict, the Palestinian leader on several occasions has stressed on apossible role for New Delhi in the Middle East peace process.
India believes in a two-state solution in which both Israel and a futurePalestinian state coexist peacefully.
The two-state solution envisions independent Israeli and Palestinian statescoexisting side by side peacefully.
The Palestinians see east Jerusalem as their future capital.