Palestine seeks India’s inclusion in a Saudi-led coalition to rebuild Gaza, hoping New Delhi’s participation will reinforce its long-standing support for the two-state solution.
As the Gaza war enters its third year, the Palestinian envoy in New Delhi has called on India to join a Saudi-led international coalition aimed at rebuilding the war-torn enclave and strengthening the Palestinian Authority’s finances.
Palestine’s Ambassador to India, Abdullah Abu Shawesh, told The Indian Express that Riyadh has already launched an emergency coalition with countries such as France and Luxembourg to support the Palestinian Authority (PA) financially — and he wants India to be part of it. “Saudi Arabia, France, Luxembourg and many other countries have already established an international coalition to support the Palestinian government financially; we want India to be there in this coalition,” Shawesh said.
His appeal comes as global attention returns to the Gaza conflict following the release of a “Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict” by US President Donald Trump. The plan has renewed diplomatic discussions around reconstruction and post-war governance, even as Israel continues its offensive operations.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan recently announced at the UN General Assembly that the coalition would directly assist the PA with contributions from several partners. Saudi Arabia will commit $90 million to the initiative, with other nations pledging similar financial support.
Shawesh said the Palestinian Authority hopes India — “the champion of the Global South,” as he described — will take a leading role. “This is the most significant time for a country like India to say that we are going to invest heavily in this, that we will be with the Palestinian Authority,” he said, referring to his recent discussions with Indian officials.
While India currently contributes $5 million annually to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Shawesh said the new coalition seeks direct financial and developmental engagement. “If India leads this effort, it will be an investment in the two-state solution that India has always supported,” he noted.
India has a long-standing relationship with Palestine, having helped build the Palestine Institute of Diplomacy in Ramallah with a $4.5 million grant. The institute was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his 2018 visit to the West Bank, and New Delhi has also pledged to construct a hospital in Gaza.
The envoy also expressed concern about what he described as “Israeli efforts to financially strangle the Palestinian Authority” by withholding tax revenues. He said this makes the coalition’s role vital to stabilise the PA’s finances and preserve its capacity to govern.
According to a Saudi foreign ministry statement, member states of the Emergency Coalition for the Financial Sustainability of the Palestinian Authority include Belgium, Denmark, France, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland and the UK. The group’s stated goal is to “stabilise the PA’s finances and maintain security, all indispensable for regional stability and preserving the two-state solution.”
Despite uncertainty over the US peace plan, Shawesh said the Palestinian Authority welcomes “any genuine effort that ends the ongoing carnage and ensures there is food in Gaza so that no more children die.” He added that the proposal could be a “step forward towards peace and the eventual two-state solution.”
