Having sensed perhaps the global mood against Israel’s relentless pummelling of Gaza, India voted in favour of a UN General Assembly (UNGA) resolution for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire that was adopted with overwhelming support from 153 member-states.
India backed an amendment sought by the US for a condemnation of Hamas but once it was shot down by the Assembly, the Indian government, in a marked departure from its abstention on a similar vote in October, threw in its lot with a resolution Israel described as hypocritical for not condemning or even naming Hamas.India’s vote is significant as it had not so far explicitly called for a ceasefire.
Explaining its vote, the government said there were many dimensions to the conflict, including the October 7 terrorist attacks, the humanitarian crisis and efforts for a lasting 2-state solution, and that it was important to find the right balance in dealing with the situation. It also welcomed the fact that the international community had been able to find a “common ground to address the multiple challenges” facing the region right now.
India’s quest for a balanced approach to the West Asia situation has seen it temper its strident condemnation of October 7 Hamas terror strikes with repeated calls for respecting international humanitarian law, support for 2-state solution and efforts to intensify engagement with the Arab world. On Saturday, India will host Oman Sultan Haitham bin Tarik for what will be the first visit by a Gulf head of state to the country since the ongoing conflict broke out.
With 153 votes in favour, the support for the resolution on Tuesday exceeded that for resolutions in the UNGA condemning Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. While 23 countries abstained, only 10, led by the US and Israel, voted against the resolution that also sought immediate and unconditional release of hostages. Even close US allies like Canada and Australia voted in favour of the resolution on this occasion.
India abstained from voting on the previous Gaza resolution in October, which sought a humanitarian truce, as it did not explicitly condemn the Hamas attacks and after an amendment to include the same couldn’t garner the requisite two-third majority. A similar amendment on this occasion too was voted down but India still voted in favour of the final text, sensing the gravity of the Gaza situation and increasing international outrage. India’s vote on Tuesday is also more in sync with the Global South that endorsed overwhelmingly the resolution which is non-binding but carries significant political and moral heft. The October resolution saw 120 votes in favour and 45 abstentions.
In its explanation of vote on this occasion, the Indian government said that the gravity and complexity of what the international community was faced with was underlined by the rare use of Article 99 of the UN Charter by UNSG Antonio Guterres to warn about a likely “humanitarian catastrophe’’ in Gaza.
Article 99, which has rarely been used in the past, allows the secretary general to draw the Security Council’s attention to any matter “which, in his opinion, may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security’’. It was invoked by the top UN diplomat at a time the Security Council has failed to speak unanimously in favour of ceasefire.
India said the Gaza situation had many dimensions and that the challenge in this “extraordinarily difficult time’’ is to strike the right balance.
“The situation that this august body has been deliberating upon has many dimensions. There is the terrorist attack on Israel on 7 October and the concern for the hostages taken at that time. There is an enormous humanitarian crisis and large-scale loss of civilian lives, especially of women and children. There is the issue of observing international humanitarian law in all circumstances. And there is the endeavour to find a peaceful and lasting two-state solution to the long-standing Palestine question,” said the government.
India backed an amendment sought by the US for a condemnation of Hamas but once it was shot down by the Assembly, the Indian government, in a marked departure from its abstention on a similar vote in October, threw in its lot with a resolution Israel described as hypocritical for not condemning or even naming Hamas.India’s vote is significant as it had not so far explicitly called for a ceasefire.
Explaining its vote, the government said there were many dimensions to the conflict, including the October 7 terrorist attacks, the humanitarian crisis and efforts for a lasting 2-state solution, and that it was important to find the right balance in dealing with the situation. It also welcomed the fact that the international community had been able to find a “common ground to address the multiple challenges” facing the region right now.
India’s quest for a balanced approach to the West Asia situation has seen it temper its strident condemnation of October 7 Hamas terror strikes with repeated calls for respecting international humanitarian law, support for 2-state solution and efforts to intensify engagement with the Arab world. On Saturday, India will host Oman Sultan Haitham bin Tarik for what will be the first visit by a Gulf head of state to the country since the ongoing conflict broke out.
With 153 votes in favour, the support for the resolution on Tuesday exceeded that for resolutions in the UNGA condemning Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. While 23 countries abstained, only 10, led by the US and Israel, voted against the resolution that also sought immediate and unconditional release of hostages. Even close US allies like Canada and Australia voted in favour of the resolution on this occasion.
India abstained from voting on the previous Gaza resolution in October, which sought a humanitarian truce, as it did not explicitly condemn the Hamas attacks and after an amendment to include the same couldn’t garner the requisite two-third majority. A similar amendment on this occasion too was voted down but India still voted in favour of the final text, sensing the gravity of the Gaza situation and increasing international outrage. India’s vote on Tuesday is also more in sync with the Global South that endorsed overwhelmingly the resolution which is non-binding but carries significant political and moral heft. The October resolution saw 120 votes in favour and 45 abstentions.
In its explanation of vote on this occasion, the Indian government said that the gravity and complexity of what the international community was faced with was underlined by the rare use of Article 99 of the UN Charter by UNSG Antonio Guterres to warn about a likely “humanitarian catastrophe’’ in Gaza.
Article 99, which has rarely been used in the past, allows the secretary general to draw the Security Council’s attention to any matter “which, in his opinion, may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security’’. It was invoked by the top UN diplomat at a time the Security Council has failed to speak unanimously in favour of ceasefire.
India said the Gaza situation had many dimensions and that the challenge in this “extraordinarily difficult time’’ is to strike the right balance.
“The situation that this august body has been deliberating upon has many dimensions. There is the terrorist attack on Israel on 7 October and the concern for the hostages taken at that time. There is an enormous humanitarian crisis and large-scale loss of civilian lives, especially of women and children. There is the issue of observing international humanitarian law in all circumstances. And there is the endeavour to find a peaceful and lasting two-state solution to the long-standing Palestine question,” said the government.