Indian delegation joins 'Global March to Jerusalem'

India has joined other South Asian countries for the 'Global March to Jerusalem' (GMJ) to show solidarity with Palestinians and demand the freedom of Jerusalem, a city revered by Jews, Christians, and Muslims.

The GMJ-India Convoy was flagged off from New Delhi on March 9 by MP Ram Vilas Paswan.

Paswan stated that the movement would serve to create awareness about the cause of Palestine in India and across the world.

He congratulated the delegates for their commitment for the cause of Palestine and promised to raise the issue in parliament and take up the matter with the government of India.

The 54-member delegation was also felicitated by MP Mani Shankar Aiyar and Zuhair Hamdallah, an official of the Palestine Embassy in New Delhi.

The farewell ceremony commenced with an all-religious prayer and ended with tribute paid to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat.

"We march in the tradition of the Satyagrahis and with our commitment to non-violent mass action, in our struggle to liberate Palestine," the GMJ-India National Committee said in a statement.

"The Palestinian issue stands at the very centre of the geo-political crisis of our times and Jerusalem lies at the very heart and soul of the crisis. We are committed to a just solution, which are enshrined in various international law and UN resolutions."

On March 10, the Indian convoy crossed over to Pakistan where it will be joined by delegates from Indonesia and Malaysia.

The group would reach Jerusalem on March 30, after crossing Egypt, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan. March 30 is marked as the Palestine Land Day.

Land Day commemorates the killing of six Palestinians, wounding of 96 and arrests of 300 on 30 March 1976, when Israeli forces reacted with violence to a peaceful demonstration by Palestinians over the confiscation of their land, especially in the Galilee.

The organisers say the March will highlight the cause of Jerusalem which is considered the key to peace and war in the region and the world.

According to GMJ, the March "will unite the efforts of Palestinians, Arabs, Muslims, Christians, Jews, and all citizens of conscience in the world to put an end to Israel's disregard for international law through the continuing occupation of Jerusalem and the rest of Palestinian land".

Global March to Jerusalem is also being attended by peace activists and supporters from 70 other countries, including Europe, Africa, South America and Australia.

The campaign is endorsed by noted figures such as Nobel Peace Prize winners Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Mairead Maguire. Figures from Palestine include Bishop Kabochi, Sheikh Raed Salah, and Bishop Atallah Hanna.