British Envoy To India Shares Identity Crisis With Gaza At NDTV World Summit

The Gaza issue is personal to Lindy Cameron, British High Commissioner to India, as she recalls her roots - Northern Ireland - at the NDTV World Summit 2025. Speaking on the Israel-Hamas war and hoping for a lasting peace, Cameron said ceasefire is just the beginning of the process and not the end.

Talking about the Israel-Hamas war at the NDTV World Summit, Cameron said, "All of us want to see the violence ending."

Brining her past to the table, Cameron added, "I am from Northern Ireland, and for me, it is very personal. The ceasefire is the beginning of the process; it is not the end. There are many years of work to go and many challenges ahead, but you must start because violence is not a way to resolve this. There is a complex journey. There are tough decisions. There are huge implementation challenges."

The challenge in Gaza includes ensuring clean water, basic food, and the aid needed to help people live the basic lives, said Cameron, calling these requirements "vital and urgent."

For this, it is crucial to sustain ceasefire, said the British High Commissioner. 

"I have worked in the Middle East for long. It is very hard to predict how it will go," she added.

When asked if she is hopeful that Hamas will not resort to terror tactics again and two-state solution is the solution going forward, Cameron said, "I am just hopeful that we see peace. The profound sense of relief that everybody felt when the hostages returned this week, that profound sense of hope and optimism is something we must hold on to. The challenge will be in implementation."

Ireland and Gaza: The Shared Identity Crisis

The people of Ireland widely identify with and support the Palestinians in their struggle against Israeli occupation and oppression because they have experienced similar domination at the hands of the UK.

Between the 1960s and 1998, Northern Ireland witnessed long-standing conflict as the citizens were divided between two groups - Catholic nationalists who wanted unification with Ireland and Protestant unionists who wished to remain part of the UK. As part of the conflict which came to be known as "The Troubles", people endured bombing, assassinations and violence.

Northern Ireland case is now being cited as a possible future model for Gaza, although they noted there was no comprehensive plan in place.