UNGA meet: India abstains from vote on Gaza ceasefire

Tribune News Service

Sandeep Dikshit

New Delhi, October 28

India abstained from vote on a UN General Assembly resolution after its stand of specifically condemning Hamas was not included, said sources here. India’s unprecedented abstention from the resolution calling for an “immediate, durable and sustained humanitarian truce leading to a cessation of hostilities” in Gaza made no difference to the outcome. The resolution was passed by 120 votes in favour and 14 against with 45 abstentions.

Resolution passed

120 votes in favour

14 votes against

45 abstentions recorded

“Terrorism is a malignancy and knows no borders, nationality or race. The world should not buy into any justification of terror acts. Let us keep aside differences, unite and adopt a zero-tolerance approach to terrorism,” said Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Yojna Patel in the “Explanation of Vote”.

Terror a malignancy

The world should not buy into any justification of terror acts. Terrorism is a malignancy and knows no borders, nationality or race. Let us keep aside differences, unite and adopt a zero-tolerance approach to terrorism. — Yojna Patel, Deputy Permanent Representative to UN

Patel reiterated that India had always supported a negotiated two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine issue. “For this, we urge the parties to de-escalate, eschew violence and work towards creating conditions for an early resumption of direct peace negotiations,” she said.

This was the first formal response of the UN to the escalation of violence in Israel and Palestine since the Hamas attacks of October 7 after the UN Security Council failed on four occasions to reach consensus on any action.

The resolution also called for the “immediate and unconditional release” of all civilians held captive as well as demanding their safety, well-being and humane treatment in compliance with international law. An upset Ambassador of Israel to the UN, Gilad Erdan, said “today is a day that will go down in infamy”.

India preferred to cast its lot with a clutch of European countries and, surprisingly, Iraq in abstaining from the resolution. All the countries of South Asia as well as BRICS, barring India, voted in favour of the resolution. However, the resolution is a non-binding expression of the majority view of UN member states.

In fact, India’s position suffered a setback when it backed a failed amendment moved by Canada and the US seeking an explicit condemnation of Hamas. The votes on the amendment were 85 for, 55 against, with 23 abstentions. It could not pass as it did not get the required two-thirds majority. In contrast, the resolution makes no mention of Hamas. Pakistan’s ambassador Munir Akram said that if Canada was being fair in its amendment, it would agree to name Israel as well as Hamas. Close Indian ally France also voted in favour with its Ambassador Nicolas de Rivière stating that “nothing justifies the killing of civilians”.

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