UNGA’s Emergency Session on West Asia and India’s vote
India's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ruchira Kamboj
News
- In yesterday’s UNGA Emergency Session on West Asia, India voted in favor of the ceasefire resolution.
- The proposed resolution called for the unconditional release of all hostages and an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict.
- At an Emergency Special Session, the 193-member UN General Assembly adopted the draft resolution that Egypt had presented.
- Ten nations, including the US, Israel, and Austria, voted against the resolution, while 153 nations supported it.
- Germany, Argentina, and the Ukraine were among the 23 nations that did not participate in the vote.
India’s role in Israel – Hamas war
● Sustaining the current state of affairs in the Israel-Palestine conflict is a difficult undertaking, but India can contribute positively by advocating for a two-nation theory based peaceful settlement. ● India should keep up its diplomatic efforts and make use of its global prominence to persuade Israel and Palestine to resume negotiations. ● India must continue to act as a mediator and provide humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people in order to address immediate needs and alleviate suffering in conflict-affected areas. ● Thus far, India has endeavored to uphold its reputation as a historically virtuous advocate of Palestinian self-determination while concurrently pursuing military, economic, and other strategic partnerships with Israel. ● The Way Ahead: The Israeli government’s resistance and that of other concerned parties has made the situation worse, but the international community as a whole needs including India to unite for a peaceful resolution. Therefore, Israel’s good relations with Arab nations would be sustained by taking a balanced stance on the Israel-Palestine issue. Hamas ● About: Founded in 1987, Hamas is an armed political organization in Palestine. This is a militant organization that started out as a movement of resistance against Israeli occupation. ● History: The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt gave rise to Hamas in 1987 as a breakaway group that aimed to carry out its goals by waging violent jihad. As a resistance movement against Fatah and Israeli occupation, it grew in popularity. Since 1997, the US has classified Hamas as a terrorist organization. The majority of Europe and many other nations, including Israel, hold this same view. ● Ideology: According to Hamas, no territory in Palestine should be given up or compromised. Any alternative to Palestine’s total liberation is rejected by Hamas. |