Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly session in New York on Sunday and reiterated that only a two-state solution will bring peace to the region.

“Reiterated India’s support for early restoration of peace and stability in the region,” said Modi in a social media post.

The meeting came days after India abstained from voting on a resolution in the United Nations General Assembly demanding an end to Israel’s “unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory” within 12 months.

The resolution, adopted on September 13, was based on an International Court of Justice ruling from July 19, which said that Israel’s continued presence in Palestinian territories violated international law and must end “as rapidly as possible”.

The United Nations court was referring to Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Israeli settlements in the West Bank began after the Six-Day War in 1967.

The resolution came nearly a year after Israel’s military offensive against Gaza began on October 7. The attacks have killed more than 40,000 persons, including 16,500 children.

On Sunday, the Ministry of External Affairs stated that Modi “reaffirmed India’s unwavering support to the people of Palestine, including continued humanitarian assistance”.

“Prime minister reiterated India's time-tested principled position on the Israel-Palestine issue, and called for ceasefire, release of hostages and return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy,” the ministry stated.

It added that Modi and Abbas also held discussions on India’s support to Palestine at the United Nations and ongoing assistance in the field of education, health, and other capacity-building efforts.

While India abstained from the vote on September 13, New Delhi had voted in favour of another United Nations resolution in November condemning Israeli settlements in Palestine. It has also repeatedly called for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Earlier this month, Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar reiterated India’s position calling for the ceasefire “as soon as possible”.

India’s longstanding position has been to support a two-state solution for establishing a sovereign, viable and independent state of Palestine within recognised and mutually agreed borders, living side by side with Israel in peace.