NEW DELHI: On a casual summer day in New Delhi, the Palestinian supporters gathered with their flags, placards, poems and musical instruments to fight against injustice. The crowd, which kept burgeoning in number with every passing minute revealed how much of humanity is still not lost. One could witness little children carrying placards for a dignity strike and huge Palestinian flags, as they too participated in the meet.

Indian People in Solidarity with Palestine organized a solidarity meet for Palestinians prisoners who are on hunger strike for the past 38 days, in front of the Palestinian Embassy on Tuesday.


The solidarity meet included students, businessmen, journalists, children, housewives, teachers, Tibetan refugees and activists. The meet included heart-felt speeches from the activists, melodious recitation of revolutionary poems, heart-touching portrayal of solidarity and it finally ended with everyone drinking salt water to show-case their support for the Palestinian prisoners. Most of the participants reflected their agony and helplessness regarding their powerlessness to do anything concrete to create change. The mass hunger strike has already entered the 38th day as the world continues to ignore it, vehemently.

Since April 17, an estimated number of 1,500 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails have been on a massive hunger strike. Along with arrest without evidence, these prisoners are also protesting against night raids on the cells of prisoners, solitary confinement, and lack of medical aid, reduction on respective family visits, torturous proceedings and humiliating trials.

Palestinian Ambassador in India, Adnan Abu Alhaija, mentioned how the lack of international support is further worsening the situation. The very fact that Palestinian prisoners are also not allowed to have books and magazines inside the cells is further disturbing.

The organizers of the solidarity meet stated that ‘It is time for us to kindle the humanitarian spirit and protest so that we can no longer tolerate mass injustice, racist attitudes and brutality of the powerful. Though, they very well know that this meet would suffer from a media black-out and the prominent broadcast/print platforms would not cover the story. Nevertheless, making an attempt to assemble people who hold the Palestinian cause very close to their hearts is a necessity.

India has had friendly relations with Palestine since times immemorial. Though, since 1992, when the first Israeli embassy was established in India, the relations have witnessed a natural decay. Over the past decades, the diplomatic concern of India has shifted to Israel’s side, which is a stable partner for Indian arms, technology, surveillance, agriculture, human development and much more.

Slowly, the Palestinian cause has narrowed down to the left-supporters, a number that in itself has been deteriorating in its impact, value and reach. The voice for Palestinian support is mellowing down, often not being heard, as it hardly has any utility or future for the echelons of power.

In a nutshell, the solidarity meeting which continued for two hours endowed the Palestinian supporters in Delhi to come forward and share their mutual agony and further refurbish their strength for hope, justice and humanity.


(Photos SHUBHDA CHAUDHARY)