India participated as an ‘observer’ in Board of Peace meeting: MEA

A day after an Indian diplomat participated in the first meeting of the Board of Peace for Gaza in Washington D.C., the External Affairs Ministry said India was there as an “observer”.

In addition, the official spokesperson of the Ministry, Randhir Jaiswal, reiterated India’s position on the Palestinian issue and said India stood for a “sovereign, independent, and viable State of Palestine based on 1967 borders”.

“India attended the Board of Peace meeting held in Washington D.C. as an observer. India has supported the Gaza Peace Plan initiative of President Trump and the efforts underway due to UNSC resolution 2803,” said Mr. Jaiswal in response to a question on India’s presence in the meeting. India was represented by Deputy Chief of Mission of the Indian Embassy in Washington D.C. Namgya Khampa.

Mr. Jaiswal explained India’s multiple moves on the Israel-Palestine conflict over the past few days that received sharper focus because of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled February 25-26 visit to Israel.

Earlier this week, India opted out of a joint appearance of member nations at the United Nations (UN) criticising Israel for its continued expansion of West Bank settlements. India did not initially sign a statement critical of Israel that was endorsed by 85 member states. However, more than 24 hours later, India signed the statement that was read out by the Palestinian Ambassador to the UN on February 17 criticising the Israeli government for its policy of expanding settlements in the West Bank.

Israel’s recent decisions asking existing Palestinian landholders of West Bank for proof of ownership and facilitating outside settlers to acquire land in the enclave have drawn strong condemnation from multiple quarters, including from the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

On Friday (February 20, 2026), Mr. Jaiswal said India has reiterated its position on Palestine on multiple occasions, including most recently during the India-Arab League ministerial meeting in New Delhi when India and the Arab League agreed to “a sovereign, independent and viable State of Palestine based on 1967 borders, living side by side in peace with Israel”. 

“In consonance with it, we have associated ourselves with the initiative keeping in mind the concerns addressed by the statement,” said Mr. Jaiswal, explaining India’s decision to sign the document more than 24 hours later.

“More than 100 states and international organizations have joined the statement condemning Israel’s unilateral measures and rejecting annexation,” the Palestinian government announced late on February 18, saying that Israel’s policy regarding the settlements “violate international law”.