121other world bodies.” Coming weeks before the Israeli invasion of Lebanon,
both countries felt that “a just and durable peace in the Middle East”
would be possible only “on the basis of the immediate and complete with-
drawal by Israel from all Arab territories occupied by it since 1967, includ-
ing Jerusalem; and the restoration of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian
people, including their right to return to their homeland and establish
their independent state” (India, Foreign Affairs Record 1982 , 134–35).
They also reiterated their position of the PLO being “the sole and legiti-
mate representative of the Palestinian people” and called for its “full and
equal” participation in all efforts for “a just and lasting” peace.
Furthermore, both the leaders were critical of some of the controversial
decisions of Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin such as “the annexa-
tion of Jerusalem and Golan Heights and perpetuation of its illegal
occupation ... attack on the al-Aqsa mosque ... (and) grave situation
caused by Israel in Lebanon.” They lamented that “despite numerous
resolutions adopted in the UN by overwhelming majority, Israel persists in
its acts of illegal occupation and change the status of the city of Jerusalem.”
Mrs. Gandhi also welcomed the eight-point peace plan outlined by Prince
Fahd in August 1981 as “a constructive initiative towards achieving a just
and durable solution to the Middle East problem.”
Subsequently, there were no high-level political exchanges between the
two sides for nearly two decades until the visit of External Affairs Minister
Jaswant Singh in January 2001. During this period both sides were preoc-
cupied with domestic and regional tensions and conflicts and the breaking
down of the Euro-centric ideological divide. As discussed elsewhere, India
was tied down with internal political crises and severe economic hardships,
leaving little scope for high political exchanges with Saudi Arabia.
Jaswant Singh’s visit in January 2001 was a path-breaking moment in
the sense that India began to view the Kingdom without the traditional
Pakistani blinkers. Only a few months earlier, Singh became the first
Indian Foreign Minister to visit Israel. Conscious of the Saudi position,
Singh flagged India’s “very strong and historical and cultural ties with the
people of Palestinian” and it being sensitive “to the interests of the
Palestinian people” even before Indian independence. He referred to
Arafat’s frequent visits to India and his own “detailed dialogue” with the
Palestinian leaders a few months earlier. Expressing concern over the cycle
of violence, Singh observed that peace “requires the strict and full imple-
mentation of the various agreements between the principal parties
concerned.” He declared, India “associates itself with the struggle of the
PALESTINE FACTOR