Palestine apologies to India; Regret envoy sharing stage with Hafiz saeed

Palestine, Dec 30: Palestine has expressed regret on the incident of Palestine's envoy, ambassador Walid Abu Ali sharing stage with Lashkar-e-Taiba founder at an event organised by jihadi groups on Friday in Pakistan.

The rally in Rawalpindi was organised to oppose the US move regarding Jerusalem.

"The Palestinian side has conveyed deep regrets over the incident and assured the Government of India that they are taking serious cognizance of their Ambassador's presence at this event," the external affairs ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

"They have said they will deal with this matter appropriately. It was also conveyed that Palestine highly values its relationship with India and stands with us in the war against terrorism, and will not engage with those who commit acts of terror against India," the statement added. "We take note of the assurances given by the Palestine side."

The Palestinians reacted after a terse statement issued on Friday night by external affairs ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar , saying: "We are taking up the matter strongly with the Palestinian ambassador in New Delhi and with the Palestinian authorities."