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90jili EAM Jaishankar Spoke To Israeli Counterpart Gideon Sa'ar On Bilateral Ties, West Asia Crisis

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday spoke to his Israeli counterpart Gideon Sa'ar where they discussed bilateral relations and Sa'ar reportedly briefed him on the ongoing developments in the West Asia region.

Jaishankar in a post on X wrote about their conversation stating, "Pleased to speak to FM @gidonsaar of Israel today.Appreciate his briefing on the ongoing developments in the region. Also discussed our bilateral relations and efforts to strengthen them."

Jaishankar also added that he looks forwards to meet Sa'ar in person.

There have been a flurry of diplomatic engagements in the last few days for the proposed ceasefire and hostage release deal after months of deadlock in the negotiations between the two sides.

Around 95 hostages are reportedly in the custody of Hamas in Gaza.

Also Read | Israel To Close Embassy In Ireland; Gaza Death Toll Crosses 45,000 | Latest On West Asia Conflict

The two foreign ministers understood to have also discussed the situation in Syria following the collapse of President Bashar Assad's regime 11 days back.

Rebel forces overthrew Assad's authoritarian government on December 8 after capturing several other prominent cities and towns.

Assad fled to Russia after the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) took control of Damascus, marking the end of his family's 50-year rule.

In its reaction, India pitched for a peaceful and inclusive Syrian-led political process in that country.

"We underline the need for all parties to work towards preserving the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on December 9.

Jaishankar's call comes days after he reaffirmed India's support for a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine in the Indian Parliament.

The first match of the final round of group matches took place between Korea and Malaysia and resulted in a 3-3 draw. The splitting of points confirmed Korea's qualification to the semifinal. The draw also ensured that Pakistan would finish second in the group regardless of their result in their last group match against India.

The India-Pakistan hockey rivalry has lost its sheen in recent times. Hockey in Pakistan has been in a freefall for the last decade or so while Indians have made a tremendous comeback in the same time period. The two countries used to rule world hockey at one point and the seeds for it were sown during the British rule in India.

Addressing the ninth day of the Parliament winter session on December 5, the union minister reaffirms India's support for the creation of "a sovereign, independent, and viable Palestinian state" alongside Israel.

Since the start of Israel's war on Gaza, India has provided humanitarian assistance to Palestine and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

Also Read | EAM Jaishankar Reaffirms India's Support For Two-State Solution For Israel, Palestine | Decoding New Delhi's Stance

India on December 13 voted in favour of a UN General Assembly resolution that demanded an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and reiterated the demand for immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.

The UN General Assembly has approved resolutions demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and backing the UN agency for Palestinian refugees that Israel has moved to ban.

India recently also said that it remains "concerned" at the evolving situation in West Asia and attacks against commercial vessels in and around the Red Sea threaten freedom of navigation and "impact our trade".

Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh in a written response to a query in the Indian Parliament also said the government has "raised the issue" with the countries in the region and the Indian Missions are "closely monitoring" the situation to mitigate its impact.

(With PTI inputs)90jili

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