The Hindu Editorial (Taking sides) – Feb 27, 2026

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The Hindu Editorial (​Taking sides) – Feb 27, 2026:

1. take sides (phrase) – to support one person or group against another in a dispute; align with, favour, side with, show bias.
2. at the cost of (phrase) – involving the loss or sacrifice of something else; at the expense of, sacrificing, to the detriment of, losing out on.
3. ties (noun) – connections or links between countries or entities; relations, relationships, bonds, associations.
4. Arab world (noun) – the Arabic-speaking countries of the Middle East and North Africa.
5. bilateral (adjective) – involving two groups or countries; mutual, two-sided, reciprocal, joint.
6. outreach (noun) – the act of expanding ties, engagement, or diplomatic relations with another nation; engagement, connection, contact, involvement.
7. consequence (noun) – repercussion, outcome, ramification, result.
8. interest (noun) – a feeling of wanting to be involved or an advantage sought by a country; priority.
9. host (verb) – to receive and entertain a visiting dignitary or leader; welcome, receive, entertain, accommodate.
10. landing (noun) – arrival.
11. engagement (noun) – participation, interaction, or formal meetings between parties; interaction, involvement, participation, communication.
12. up to (phrase) – until, till, up until, extending to.
13. escort (verb) – to travel with a person to ensure their safety or to show diplomatic respect; accompany, guide, conduct, usher.
14. talks (noun) – formal discussions intended to reach a diplomatic agreement; negotiations, discussions, dialogues, deliberations.
15. Strategic Partnership (noun) – a long-term, mutually beneficial security and economic relationship between two nations; strategic alliance, geopolitical pact, cooperative relationship, bilateral alignment.
16. Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) (noun) – a formal diplomatic agreement between two or more parties; agreement, pact, treaty, accord.
17. Artificial Intelligence (AI) (noun) – the simulation of human intelligence processes by computer systems; machine learning, automated intelligence, neural networks, algorithmic intelligence.
18. facilitate (verb) – to make an action or diplomatic process easier; enable, assist, ease, expedite.
19. accrue (verb) – to accumulate or result from something over time; result, arise, stem, accumulate.
20. growing (adjective) – gradually increasing in size, amount, or intensity; increasing, expanding, rising, mounting.
21. isolation (noun) – the state of a nation being diplomatically or politically separated from others; alienation, separation, segregation, ostracism.
22. casualty (noun) – a person killed or injured in a war or conflict; victim, fatality, loss, sufferer.
23. Gaza (noun) – a Palestinian territory located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea; Gaza Strip, Palestinian enclave, occupied territory, coastal strip.
24. West Bank (noun) – a landlocked territory near the Mediterranean coast, critical to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; occupied territory, Palestinian region, occupied West Bank, disputed land.
25. settlement (noun) – a community or colony established by Israel in occupied Palestinian territories; colony, outpost, encampment, community.
26. condemn (verb) – disapprove, censure, criticize, denounce, decry.
27. measure (verb) – to judge, evaluate, or assess the quality, effect, or value of something; evaluate, assess, appraise, judge.
28. so far (phrase) – up to the present moment; until now, up to now, to date, thus far.
29. head into (phrasal verb) – to move toward or enter a particular situation; enter, approach, move towards, go into.
30. referendum (noun) – a general vote by the electorate on a single political question; public vote, plebiscite, ballot, popular vote.
31. in terms of (phrase) – with regard to; regarding, concerning, with respect to, as regards.
32. alleged (adjective) – stated (without definitive proof); claimed, supposed, purported, unproven.
33. accountability (noun) – the obligation to accept responsibility for one’s actions; responsibility, liability, answerability, culpability.
34. lapse (noun) – a temporary failure; failure, error, mistake, omission.
35. civilian (noun) – a person not in the armed services or police force; non-combatant, ordinary citizen, private citizen, non-military person.
36. toll (noun) – the number of deaths or casualties arising from a conflict; death toll, casualty rate, number of dead, human cost.
37. civilian toll (noun) – the total number of non-combatant casualties caused by a military conflict; civilian casualties, civilian deaths, non-combatant fatalities, innocent lives lost.
38. bolster (verb) – to support, strengthen, or prop up a diplomatic relationship; strengthen, reinforce, boost, fortify.
39. Knesset (noun) – the unicameral national legislature and parliament of Israel; Israeli parliament, legislative assembly, law-making body, national assembly.
40. obliquely (adverb) – in a manner that is not direct or explicit; indirectly, implicitly, subtly, circuitously.
41. sovereignty (noun) – the supreme authority of a state to govern itself; autonomy, independence, self-government, self-rule.
42. two-state solution (noun) – a proposed diplomatic framework establishing independent Israeli and Palestinian states; peace framework, sovereign Palestinian state proposal, two-nation proposal, independent states framework.
43. hold the promise (phrase) – to offer hope or indicate that something will be successful in the future; show potential, offer hope, indicate success, carry potential.
44. just (adjective) – fair, equitable, impartial, unbiased.
45. durable (adjective) – long-lasting, enduring, resilient, stable.
46. address (verb) – to focus on and begin to deal with a specific problem or issue; tackle, deal with, attend to, confront.
47. Hamas (noun) – a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist and militant organization; Palestinian militant group.
48. make no mention (phrase) – to fail to speak about or refer to a particular issue; omit, ignore, disregard, fail to note.
49. strike (noun) – a sudden military attack or offensive operation; attack, bombardment, assault, offensive.
50. conflict (noun) – a serious and protracted disagreement or armed struggle; war, dispute, battle, clash.
51. amidst (preposition) – surrounded by or in the middle of a particular situation; amid, during, in the center of, surrounded by.
52. in the event of (phrase) – if a specific situation or outcome happens; in case of, if there is, assuming, in the situation that.
53. outcome (noun) – the final result or consequence of a process or event; result, consequence, end result, conclusion.
54. neighbourhood (noun) – the surrounding geopolitical region or area; surrounding area, vicinity, region, environs.
55. I2U2 (noun) – a strategic plurilateral grouping consisting of India, Israel, the UAE, and the US; West Asian Quad, plurilateral bloc, strategic bloc.
56. momentum (noun) – the driving force or impetus gained by a diplomatic initiative; impetus, drive, thrust, push.
57. India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) (noun) – a planned cross-border connectivity network intended to bolster regional economic integration; trade corridor, transit route, connectivity project, cross-border network.
58. viable (adjective) – feasible, workable, practicable, applicable.
59. polarised (adjective) – divided into sharply contrasting political or ideological groups; divided, split, separated, conflicted.
60. atmosphere (noun) – mood, tone, feeling, environment.
61. deep (adjective) – very intense, profound, or significant in degree; intense, profound, strong, serious.
62. fault-line (noun) – a divisive issue or geopolitical difference likely to cause conflict; division, rift, divide, schism.
63. steadfast (adjective) – resolutely firm and unwavering in a political stance or policy; firm, resolute, determined, unwavering.
64. calibrated (adjective) – carefully assessed, adjusted, or measured for diplomatic effect; measured, adjusted, regulated, balanced.
65. balance (noun) – equilibrium, stability, steadiness, fairness.
66. regional balance (noun) – a carefully maintained geopolitical equilibrium; regional equilibrium, geopolitical stability, power balance, regional stability.
67. morality (noun) – ethics, principles, rectitude, righteousness.
68. compassion (noun) – sympathetic concern for the sufferings of civilians in a conflict; empathy, sympathy, pity, humanity.

1. Click each one of the words above for their definition, more synonyms, pronunciation, example sentences, phrases, derivatives, origin and etc. from http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/.

2. Definitions (elementary level) & Synonyms provided for the words above are my personal work and not that of Oxford University Press. Tentative definitions/meanings are provided for study purposes only and they may vary in a different context.  

3. This word list is for personal use only. Reproduction in any format and/or Commercial use of it is/are strictly prohibited.

The Hindu Editorial (Taking sides) – Feb 27, 2026: