This article covers India's relations with Palestine: India's recognition of the Palestine Liberation Organization and of the Palestinian State, its positions in multilateral fora, high-level visits and contacts, and the Joint Commission and Foreign Office Consultations. It is based on the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) bilateral brief of July 2026.

Recognition

According to the MEA brief of July 2026, India's support for the Palestinian cause is an integral part of the nation's foreign policy. In 1974, India became the first Non-Arab State to recognize the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. In 1988, India became one of the first countries to recognize the Palestinian State.

India's position in multilateral fora

The brief states that India has always played a proactive role in garnering support for the Palestinian cause in multilateral fora. India has consistently supported, co-sponsored and voted in favour of UN General Assembly Resolutions on:

  • securing the right to self-determination of Palestinians (Res.79/163, 2024)
  • peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine (A/Res/79/82, 2024)
  • Palestinian refugees' properties and their revenue (A/Res/78/75, 2023)

In April 2024, India voted in favour of the Human Rights Council Resolution on the Right of the Palestinian people to self-determination. In 2011, India voted in favour of Palestine becoming a full member of UNESCO.

The NAM Ministerial Committee on Palestine was established under India's Presidency during the VII NAM Summit in New Delhi in 1983. During its terms as a non-permanent member of the Security Council, India continued to voice its support for a negotiated solution resulting in "a sovereign, independent, viable and united State of Palestine, within secure and recognized borders, at peace beside Israel", as endorsed in the relevant UNSC and UNGA Resolutions.

Since October 2023, India has taken part in regional and global meetings on Palestine and Gaza. These include the NAM Ministerial meeting in January 2024, the Cairo Ministerial Conference to enhance the Humanitarian response in Gaza in February 2024, and the High Level Conference in Amman on Urgent Humanitarian response in Gaza.

Visits from India

The brief records regular high-level bilateral visits between India and Palestine. President Shri Pranab Mukherjee visited Palestine in October 2015, the first visit by an Indian President to Palestine.

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi visited Palestine on 10 February 2018, the first such visit by an Indian Prime Minister, which the brief describes as historic. Other visits from India in recent years were those of Smt. Sushma Swaraj, External Affairs Minister, in January 2016 and Shri M.J. Akbar, Minister of State for External Affairs, in November 2016.

Visits from Palestine

The brief states that the late President Yasser Arafat visited India several times. President Mahmoud Abbas visited India in 2005, 2008, 2010 and 2012, and in May 2017 on his third State Visit. During the 2017 visit, he held discussions with the President of India and the Prime Minister, while the Vice President and the External Affairs Minister called on him.

Foreign Minister Dr. Varsen Shaheen visited India on 28-31 January 2026 to take part in the meeting of India-Arab League Foreign Ministers. She held a bilateral meeting with External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar and, with other participating Ministers, called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Other leader-level contacts

In April 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Prime Minister Modi spoke with President Abbas over the phone. Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister of Palestine Dr. Mohammad Shtayyeh met during the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference held at Glasgow, United Kingdom.

Prime Minister Modi has also held bilateral meetings with President Abbas on the sidelines of multilateral meetings. As of the brief, their most recent meeting was on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York in September 2024.

In December 2023, in the aftermath of the 7 October conflict, External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar held a phone call with then Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh. The brief states that he reiterated India's support for the Palestinian people during the call.

Dialogue mechanisms

The first Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) between India and Palestine was held in Ramallah in November 2016. It was co-chaired by Shri M.J. Akbar, Minister of State for External Affairs, and Dr. Riad Malki, Foreign Minister of Palestine.

India and Palestine have held three rounds of Foreign Office Consultations (FOCs):

  • the first in Ramallah in May 2015
  • the second in New Delhi in April 2017
  • the third virtually in September 2020