On Tuesday, India voted in favour of a resolution in the UN General Assembly calling for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” in Gaza and the unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas.
India joined 153 countries in voting in favour of the resolution; while 10 countries voted against it, and 23 abstained.
153 Countries Vote in Favour
All countries of the Indian subcontinent favoured the resolution “Protection of civilians and upholding legal and humanitarian obligations.”
The voting was done during the ‘Special Session on Illegal Israeli actions in Occupied East Jerusalem and the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory.’
In favour: 153
— United Nations (@UN) December 12, 2023
Against: 10
Abstentions: 23
UN General Assembly adopts resolution on the Middle East demanding a humanitarian ceasefire, the protection of civilians, the immediate, unconditional release of all hostages and humanitarian access. pic.twitter.com/0szWbQQJVb
The countries opposing the resolution included Israel, the US, Austria, Czechia, Paraguay, Guatemala, Micronesia, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, and Liberia.
The UK, Germany, Italy, and Ukraine were among the 23 countries that abstained from the resolution moved by Egypt and co-sponsored by 21 countries.
India’s Vote, Large-Scale Humanitarian Crisis
In her statement at the UNGA during the vote, Ruchira Kamboj, the Indian Permanent Representative to the UN (UNPR), said that the situation has “many dimensions.”
“There is the terrorist attack on Israel on 7 October and the concern for the hostages taken at that time,” she said.
She mentioned that 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,” Kamboj emphasised.
Additionally, the Indian UNPR mentioned that there is an “endeavour to find a peaceful and lasting two-state solution to the long-standing Palestine question.”
“Our challenge in this extraordinarily difficult time is to strike the right balance,” she highlighted.
Amendments by US, Austria
Additionally, India voted in favour of the amendments moved by the US and Austria, calling for a condemnation of Hamas. However, these amendments did not get the required two-thirds majority vote and could not be passed.
In an explanation of India’s vote, Kamboj said that “the gravity and complexity of what the international community faces is underlined by the Secretary-General invoking Article 99 of the Charter of the United Nations.”
Recently, in a rare move, the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres invoked Article 99 of the UN Charter, which intended to warn the UNSC about the dangers caused by Israeli activities in Gaza.
Change in Stance
India welcomed the fact that the international community has been able to find a common ground to address the multiple challenges facing the region right now.
On 27 October, India abstained from a similar resolution calling for a ceasefire on the grounds that it did not have an explicit condemnation of the 7 October attack.
Over 7,000 Palestinians, including 3,000 children, had died in the Israeli bombardments up until then.
India Votes In Favour Of UN Resolution Demanding Gaza Ceasefire https://t.co/zKj2e1Q0MV pic.twitter.com/WXOuk4QaOL
— NDTV News feed (@ndtvfeed) December 13, 2023
Days after this, India had favoured a resolution condemning Israeli settlement activities in the ‘Occupied Palestinian Territory of East Jerusalem and occupied Syrian Golan in November.
The latest vote comes as the Ministry of Health in Gaza said that at least 18,200 Palestinians had been killed in Gaza thus far in Israeli attacks that began after Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October, leading to the death of 1,200 Israelis.