India
abstained from voting on a UN General Assembly resolution that called for an
immediate humanitarian truce in the Israel-Hamas conflict. The
resolution did not mention Hamas or "hostage". India said that
the resolution did not send a clear message against terror.
India is concerned over the unfolding humanitarian crisis in
Gaza but at the same time strongly considers that there can be no equivocation
on terror. The resolution did not include any explicit condemnation of the
October 7 terrorist attacks by Hamas, they said, adding India abstained in the
vote in absence of all elements of its approach not being covered in the final
text of the resolution.
The resolution was proposed by Jordan and adopted by a large
majority of member states. There were 120 votes in favor, 14 against, and
45 abstentions. Israel, the US, Hungary, and five Pacific Island states
were among the countries that voted against the resolution
The UN General Assembly on Friday
adopted a resolution that called for an "immediate, durable and sustained
humanitarian truce" between Israel and Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.
"The Resolution in the UN General Assembly did not include any explicit condemnation of the
terrorist attacks of October 7. An amendment was moved to include this aspect,
prior to the vote on the main resolution."
India voted in favors of the amendment
and it obtained 88 votes in favor but not the requisite two-thirds majority,
it said. "In the absence of the all elements of our approach not being
covered in the final text of the resolution, we abstained in the vote on its
adoption."
India joined Australia, Canada,
Germany, Japan, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom in the group of 45
countries that abstained on the resolution titled “Protection of civilians and
upholding legal and humanitarian obligations”.