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HomeNEWSInternational NewsIndia's vote on Gaza at the UNGA: Reasons and Repercussions

India’s vote on Gaza at the UNGA: Reasons and Repercussions

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India's vote on Gaza at the UNGA: Reasons and Repercussions

India’s stance at the UN General Assembly [UNGA] on two resolutions on October 27, 2023, has sparked heated controversy.

India voted against a UNGA resolution calling for an urgent humanitarian cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war.

The phrases “Hamas” and “hostage” were not included in the resolution. It was approved with 120 votes in favour and 14 votes against. Much of the Global South and developing nations voted in favour of the resolution, which resulted in the Jordan-drafted resolution titled ‘Protection of civilians and maintaining legal and humanitarian commitments’ being accepted.

India, Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom were among the important members who did not vote.

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India, on the other hand, voted “yes” for a Canadian amendment to a Jordanian resolution on Israel-Palestine that denounced the Hamas terror attack on Israel.

Canada proposed introducing a phrase condemning the “terrorist attacks by Hamas.” India, along with 87 other countries, backed Canada’s proposed reform. However, the resolution was not enacted since it did not receive a two-thirds majority in the UN General Assembly.

The Indian vote at the UNGA was defended as one of consistency in denouncing terrorism in all forms and around the world, not only in the area.

As a result, India supported the Canadian plan, while abstaining from the Jordanian proposal due to the absence of the sentence “terrorist attacks by Hamas.”

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Some critics perceive the idea as supporting Israel, which launched a ground attack in Gaza on October 28, a day after the UNGA resolution.

India, on the other hand, has taken several preemptive diplomatic measures to avoid a negative reaction from the all-important Gulf and Islamic countries, including the Palestinian Authority, Jordan, and Egypt, with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi recently speaking to the head of stats.

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Foreign Minister Dr S Jaishanker has met with counterparts in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Oman. It remains to be seen how these countries react to India’s boycott from the UNGA.

The Left parties are also reacting negatively in the home realm. The CPI(M) and the CPI said in a joint statement that India’s abstention from voting on a United Nations resolution asking for a truce in Gaza is “shocking” and demonstrates that it is crafting its foreign policy as a “subordinate ally of US imperialism.”

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The CPI(M) has announced a demonstration at its AKG Bhawan headquarters on October 29 to demonstrate sympathy with Palestine. “It is shocking that India abstained from a Resolution overwhelmingly adopted by the UN General Assembly calling for a humanitarian truce titled ‘Protection of civilians and upholding legal and humanitarian obligations’ in the ongoing Israeli offensive in Gaza,” according to the statement. According to the two Left parties after the UN General Assembly approved the resolution, Israel increased its “genocidal air and ground attacks in the Gaza Strip.”

Also Read: India deserves veto power at the UNSC

There would be diplomatic and political pressure on India now that Israel has initiated a ground attack and reports of increased civilian losses have been reported, as the humanitarian situation in Gaza has crumbled. In an election year, the opposition is likely to dig it up extensively.

As the number of victims rises, many will call on the government to reconsider its position and to condemn Israel’s excessive response.

India, on the other hand, may be expected to stick behind its partner Israel.

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Vipul Tamhane
Vipul Tamhane
Vipul Tamhane is an Anti-Money Laundering and Combating Terrorist Financing (AML/CFT) specialist with expertise in international business, and Commercial Law. He is a visiting faculty at Pune University's Department of Defence and Strategic Studies, where he teaches Counter Terrorism to Masters and Postgraduate Diploma students. He is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Diplomacy Direct, an upcoming national-interest think tank dealing with counter-terrorism, national security, geopolitics, and international diplomacy.

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