India backs Gaza truce resolution for first time

Sandeep Dikshit

New Delhi, December 13

India for the first time backed the call for ceasefire while joining 152 other nations in voting overwhelmingly amidst applause at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday for a resolution that sought “Protection of Civilians and Upholding Legal and Humanitarian Obligations”.

Editorial: India backs resolution

India also voted in favour of amendments proposed by Austria and the US that sought to condemn Hamas. But both amendments could not be carried through. The Austrian amendment got 89 votes in favour, 61 against and 20 abstentions while the US-proposed amendment got 84 votes in favour, 62 against and 25 abstentions.

India had previously backed de-escalation of the situation and “humanitarian pauses” in Gaza. At another UN General Assembly resolution on October 27, India had abstained from voting. That resolution was adopted with 120 nations voting in favour, 14 against and 45 abstentions.

In other words, in a span of one-and-a-half months, at least 33 nations have abandoned their neutral or pro-Israel positions to press for a ceasefire, release of hostages and humanitarian aid to Gaza. The resolution also called for unconditional and immediate release of all hostages and unhindered humanitarian access to Gaza. The UN resolution was opposed by 10 countries, including the US and Israel. A total of 23 nations, including Germany, Hungary, Italy, Ukraine and the UK, abstained from the UN vote. The death toll in Gaza since Israel Defence Forces (IDF) began operations has crossed 18,000, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

The UNGA resolution also took note of the December 6 letter by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres written under Article 99 of the UN Charter, the first time that Guterres invoked the Article since he became Secretary-General in 2017. Article 99 states that “the Secretary-General may bring to the attention of the Security Council any matter which in his opinion may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security”.

“Constitutionally, it is the most powerful tool that he has,” Guterres spokesperson Stephane Dujarric had earlier said. Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan told the UNGA that a ceasefire would not benefit the people of Gaza, but would only “benefit the terrorists who steal the humanitarian aid for themselves”. The vote in the UNGA came a week after 13 of the 15 UN Security Council members could not push through a resolution for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza after the US exercised its veto.