External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar addressed a Joint Session of the Senate’s External Affairs and Defence Commission on Friday, where he discussed the recent attack on Israel by the militant group Hamas on October 7. Jaishankar described the attack as a “big act of terrorism” and stated that it was “unacceptable.” However, he also emphasised the need to address the broader issue of Palestine through “dialogue and negotiation”, news agency PTI reported.

“What happened on October 7, this big act of terrorism, the subsequent happenings after that, this has taken the entire region into a very different direction…the conflict cannot be the normal of that region, that it comes back to some stability, some cooperation. And within this, we have to find a balance between different issues,” he said in response to questions from senators at the session, as quoted by PTI.

The External Affairs Minister reiterated India’s stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict, advocating for a “two-state solution.” He emphasised the importance of finding a resolution through “dialogue and negotiation” rather than through conflict.