New Delhi: India was among the 145 nations that voted in favour of a United Nations resolution, condemning Israel’s settlement activities in “the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan”, on Saturday.
Seven countries – Canada, Hungary, Israel, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, United States – voted against the resolution and 18 abstained. The resolution was passed two days after its draft resolution was approved on Thursday, November 9, according to media reports.
The report came to light after TMC MP Saket Gokhale shared a picture of the voting on the resolution at the UN on his official X (formerly Twitter) handle and wrote: “Very glad that Republic of India voted in favour of the resolution.”
A resolution was moved in UN yesterday seeking to declare Israeli settlements in Occupied Palestine as illegal.
Very glad that Republic of India voted in favor of the resolution.
Israel’s occupation of Palestine through settlers is ILLEGAL.
Israel’s apartheid must end NOW. pic.twitter.com/rv9iPzPIp8
— Saket Gokhale (@SaketGokhale) November 11, 2023
However, currently, no official statement in this regard has been published by the Ministry of External Affairs.
In October, India had abstained from voting on a resolution in the United Nations proposed by Jordan that called for an immediate humanitarian truce in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict while supporting Canada’s proposal to amend the resolution to include condemnation of Hamas attack.
In December 2022, India had abstained in the UN General Assembly on a resolution that asked the International Court of Justice for its opinion on the legal consequences of Israel’s “prolonged occupation” and annexation of the Palestinian territory.
