Here's how India votes on Palestine at the UN
India continues to abstain from crucial votes at the UN.
On Wednesday, the UN General Assembly voted for a resolution demanding an end to Israel’s occupation of Gaza and the West Bank within 12 months.
The resolution, which followed the International Court of Justice (ICJ)’s advisory opinion, passed with 124 countries in favour, 14 against, and 43 others abstaining.
Once more, India was among those countries which chose to abstain.
In his “explanation” to the UN, India’s ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, said the following:
Madam President, India has abstained from today's vote. We have been strong advocates of dialogue and diplomacy. We believe that there is no other way to resolve conflicts. There are no winners in conflicts. The cost of conflict is human lives and destruction.
India attaches utmost respect to the UN Charter and the principal organs of the United Nations.
A joint effort should be directed towards bringing the two sides closer, not drive them further apart. We should strive towards building bridges, not furthering the divides. I urge the august assembly to make a genuine effort to strive for peace.
In conclusion, I emphasize our steadfast commitment to resolution of the conflict and restoration of peace by bringing human suffering to an end; we will continue to be guided by this spirit to this end. We stand ready to continue our engagements towards achieving sustained peace. I thank you, Madam, President.”
Here are his remarks in full:
Meanwhile, here is a brief timeline of India’s positions on Palestine and Israel at the UN:
1947: India voted against the UN partition plan of Palestine
1949: India voted against Israel’s admission to the UN
1975: India voted for UNGA Resolution 3379 that categorized Zionism as racism
1991: India voted to repeal UNGA Resolution 3379 that categorized Zionism as racism
2009: India voted in favour of a UN resolution endorsing the Goldstone report that calls for Israel and Palestine to investigate war crimes in the Gaza Strip. Crucially, however, India’s envoy to the UN clarified that Delhi could not make an "unqualified endorsement".
"We do not approve of the referral to the Security Council and the ICC," he said.
2011: India voted for Palestine becoming a full member of UNESCO
2012: India voted in favour of Palestine to become a ‘non-member Observer state’ at the UN without voting rights.
2014: India abstained from a vote calling on ICC to investigate Israel
2015: India abstained from voting at the United Nations Human Rights Council for a resolution endorsing the findings of a UN report into Operation Protective Edge in Gaza.
2017: India voted against the United States' decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel
2019: India voted in favor of an Israeli resolution at the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) that objected to granting consultative status to a Palestinian non-governmental organization.
2020: India abstained from voting for a UNGA resolution calling on Israel to cooperate with the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People in implementing its mandate, and deplores the continued lack of cooperation in this regard.
2021: India abstained from voting for a UNGA resolution calling on Israel to provide the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People with all necessary facilities, including those required for its visits to the occupied territories, so that it may investigate the Israeli policies and practices referred to in the present resolution;
2022: India abstained from voting for UNGA resolution calling on the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for its view on the legal consequences of the "prolonged occupation" and "annexation" of Palestinian territory by Israel.
October 2023: India abstained from a vote calling for a humanitarian truce in Israel’s war against Palestinians in Gaza
December 2023: India voted in favour of a resolution in the UN General Assembly (UNGA) that called an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza. At this point 18,000 Palestinians had already been killed by Israel.
April 2024: India abstained from voting for a UN Human Rights Council resolution that called for a suspension of arms sales to Israel.
September 2024: India abstained from from voting for a UNGA resolution that for an end to Israel’s occupation of Gaza and the West Bank within 12 months. By mid-September 2024, the death toll in Gaza was at the very least 41,000 people, including 16,500 children.
Remember, India was among the first countries to condemn Hamas following the attack on Israel on 7 October 2023.
In the days and weeks following the Hamas-led attacks almost a year ago, India turned into a major hub and source of disinformation as Israel looked to manufacture consent for its assault on Gaza. Not only were Indian right wing media and opinion makers spreading disinformation about Hamas and Palestinian acts of resistance, they looked to link Indian Muslims to Hamas as a means to further criminalize and vilify the community.
Despite Israel’s rampage in Gaza, India has sent arms - including combat drones as well as other ordnance - to support the war on Palestinians in Gaza. Over and above the transfer of weapons, Delhi has also sent Indian construction workers to replace Palestinian workers in Israel.