Palestine seeks BRICS membership, urges India’s support, condemns Israel’s actions in Gaza

Seek BRICS membership, looks forward to India's support: Palestinian Ambassador to India

Palestine on Tuesday expressed interest in joining the BRICS grouping and is engaging with member countries to seek support for its bid.

Speaking to ANI, Palestinian Ambassador to India Abdullah Abu Shawesh said Palestine views BRICS as a vital platform and is hopeful of receiving India’s backing for full membership.

“BRICS is a very important platform, and we look forward to being a full part of this. We are already in discussion with all the BRICS members, and we look forward to India supporting our request," he said.

The envoy highlighted that Palestine values India’s role in global forums and sees New Delhi as a key player in shaping international consensus.

The BRICS bloc, comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, recently expanded to include new members, reflecting its growing influence among emerging economies.

Palestine believes that membership would strengthen its voice on international issues, particularly concerning its ongoing conflict with Israel and its call for wider recognition.

Criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza

Abu Shawesh strongly criticised Israel’s military operations in Gaza, describing them as "genocide." He said Palestinians have been under continuous attacks for nearly two years, resulting in significant loss of life and displacement.

“We are talking about 725 days of continuous massacres, genocide, textbook genocide conducted by the Israeli occupation in Gaza. Around 65,000 to 66,000 innocent Palestinians have lost their lives. Gaza lies under rubble, and the majority of people are displaced," he told ANI.

He stressed that peace in the region depends on Israel respecting international law, and accused the international community of treating Israel as a state above the law, which he believes hinders peace efforts.

“It is so easy and we will not stop saying that when Israel abides by the international law and the international agreed resolutions, the peace will be there. But as long as Israel is being treated as a country or as a state above international law and has full impunity, the peace will not be brought back to the Middle East," Abu Shawesh said.

On hostages and prisoners

On the question of hostages, Abu Shawesh said both Palestinian and Israeli detainees should be released. He claimed nearly 12,000 Palestinians are currently held in Israeli prisons, many of whom face daily mistreatment.

“All of them are enduring torture and ill-treatment daily. Our position is clear: hostages should not be taken at all, whether Palestinian or Israeli,” he added.