Abdullah M.A. Abushawesh, the Palestinian Ambassador to India, has shared that he feels safer in New Delhi than in Palestine. Speaking on the sidelines of the NDTV World Summit 2026, Abushawesh also expressed his deep affection for India. He mentioned that it was difficult for him to describe the country in a few words, and he would need to write a book to properly detail what he feels about India.
Palestinian Ambassador Shares Love For Delhi
The Palestinian envoy said that he walks daily in New Delhi on the same route. He added that he feels safe among the people of India. “I can tell you that on a daily basis, I walk in New Delhi using the same exact route, and I feel safe, more than I feel safe in Palestine because of the Israeli occupation. Among you, the Indian people, I feel safe, better than in Ramallah, in Palestine,” he said.
Abushawesh, who has been in India for one-and-a-half years, confessed that he has become “a bit addicted” to Indian food in his home.
Asked to choose between chai and Arabic coffee, he was first unwilling to make a decision and selected both. When pressed, Abushawesh picked chai as the clear favourite. He also mentioned that the word "chai" was of Arabic origin.
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Palestinian Ambassador On Indian Culture
Abdullah M.A. Abushawesh spoke about his deep love of Indian culture. He recalled that as a child, he had grown up watching Indian and Egyptian cinema. Abushawesh mentioned that he was aware of many of the big names in the Hindi film industry at that time, from Zeenat Aman and Shashi Kapoor to Amitabh Bachchan.
He stressed that the music was one of the biggest draws of hindi films.
Earlier, at the NDTV World Summit, the envoy recalled receiving congratulatory messages from his family in Gaza after his posting to India was announced. He said that he got messages congratulating him for going to “Amitabh Bachchan's homeland.”
Calling India “his second home”, the envoy said that he still walks for 90 minutes in Delhi daily and would not change his route.
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