Israel-Gaza war: Even allies ditch US as 153 nations including India vote in favour of ceasefire
UN
India, along with 152 other nations voted on Tuesday (Dec 12) in favour of a UN General Assembly resolution that called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
For the first time, even close US ally Australia voted in favour of the resolution, marking a rare split in the alliance. The voting pattern laid bare the increased isolation that the US and Israel have been facing amongst the international community.
Only 10 nations voted against the resolution, and 23 nations abstained.
India’s explanation
During the explanation of vote (EoV) speech delivered Wednesday (Dec 13), India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ruchira Khamboj said India “welcomes” the fact that the international community had been able to find a “common ground” to address the situation in West Asia.
“Our challenge in this extraordinarily difficult time is to strike the right balance,” Khamboj added.
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However, she stopped short of clarifying the reason for India’s decision to go against the US and Israel-backed resolution.
Policy shift?
In a previous resolution on the Israel-Gaza war, dated October 27, India had refused to vote in favour as it did not include any specific reference to the October 7 terror attacks in Israel by Hamas.
But this time, the Indian permanent representative cited the “gravity and complexity” of the issue to justify its vote against Israel.
Responding to this, the Israeli Embassy in Delhi said it appreciated Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “stand with Israel against terrorism” after the attacks.
It must be noted that the UNGA doesn’t have any power to enforce its resolutions on the ground, but it represents the sentiments of the global community.
Even allies ditch US
Several aid groups backed Australia’s decision of Tuesday to not throw support behind Israel to instead vote in favour of the UN resolution.
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Australia’s ambassador to the UN, James Larsen, said human suffering in Gaza was “widespread and unacceptable”. He characterised the vote as an evolution of Australia’s position.
(With inputs from agencies)