Not neutral, it is pro-Israel
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India's abstention from the vote on the resolution moved at the United Nations General Assembly calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza is not in line with global peace, humanitarian justice, diplomatic ethics or India's own interests. The resolution, introduced by Spain, was supported by more than four-fifths of the total members. When the resolution was passed by a large majority, India's abstention was noticeable. Out of 180 countries, 149 were in favour of the ceasefire. India abstained, along with minor countries like Ecuador, Kiribati and Malawi. Israel, the US and 10 other countries voted against the ceasefire resolution. Justifying their abstention, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Parvathaneni Harish said that it has abstained in the past, too. India had previously abstained from voting on a resolution in December 2022 criticising Israel’s human rights violations and a resolution in December 2024 referring Israel’s violence in Gaza to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Even as neither of these was a fair position, India supported the demand for a ceasefire when the Gaza ceasefire resolution was voted on in December 2024. How could we not support a resolution saying 'Stop' today, when Israel’s genocide has taken on a more brutal form after having massacred 60,000 or more people, bombed the entire region and starved millions into cages?
Like India, Palestine has been under occupation for a long time, including by the British. However, the UN has been settling Israel on Palestinian land since India gained independence. Since then, the Zionist state has been occupying Palestinian land and committing racial atrocities against its people. India is the country of Gandhiji, who gave full support to Palestine and declared that Palestine belongs to the Palestinians just as England belongs to the English and France belongs to the French. We officially recognised the state of Palestine in 1988 - one of the 147 countries that recognised Palestine out of the 193 member states of the UN. It has not been explained why we abandoned our own well-considered position in favour of Israel. There is a case against Israeli leaders in the International Criminal Court for war crimes. Israel itself is a defendant in the ICJ for genocide. The entire world, except for a few Western countries that play power politics, condemns Israeli atrocities. Moreover, France and Britain, among them, voted in favour of the Gaza ceasefire this time. Why did we take a stand to block it? We will have to answer to history for turning a blind eye instead of making the most of an opportunity that could have helped curb the brutal genocide and war crimes in Israel’s interest, against our own interests. This will only increase our isolation from the world. We are the only country in South Asia that has not backed the ceasefire. With this, we have also become isolated in groups like BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. We are not only betraying Palestine but also ourselves.
India often makes public statements for peace and the security of the Palestinian people. However, the gap between word and deed is even more evident. If not even a single step towards peace and the security of Palestine deserves our support, then what is the point of talking? We have been Israel's ally in war and destruction. India has become one of the largest buyers of Israeli weapons, which are sold to the Palestinians after being 'tested' and found effective. It is estimated that India bought Israeli weapons worth 420 crore US dollars between 2001 and 2021. There were also reports that we are helping Israel in its war. When Spain intercepted a ship carrying weapons to Haifa, Israel, in 2024, it was revealed that the weapons had been shipped from Chennai. The Adani-Elbit venture in arms trade is a clear example of India-Israel cooperation. It was also reported that some of the missiles deployed in the Nusairat refugee camp in Gaza were marked ‘Made in India’. But even while all this was happening, we had not taken an explicit stand against Palestine before the world. Now we have. Will history forgive us?
