United Nations: India voted in favour of a resolution in the UN General Assembly that condemns Israeli settlement activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

The draft resolution titled ‘Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and the occupied Syrian Golan’ was approved by the Special Political and Decolonization Committee (Fourth Committee) of the UN General Assembly by a recorded vote of 145 in favour, seven against and 18 abstentions on Thursday.

Those voting against the resolution were Canada, Hungary, Israel, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru and the United States.

India was among the 145 nations that voted in favour of the resolution along with Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, France, Japan, Malaysia, Maldives, Russia, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the UK.

By the terms of the resolution, the Assembly would condemn settlement activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan and any activities involving the confiscation of land, the disruption of the livelihood of protected persons, the forced transfer of civilians and the annexation of land, whether de facto or through national legislation.

The resolution “Condemns”… “settlement activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan and any activities involving the confiscation of land, the disruption of the livelihood of protected persons, the forced transfer of civilians and the annexation of land, whether de facto or through national legislation.” The resolution “Reaffirms that the Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan are illegal and an obstacle to peace and economic and social development.” The resolution reiterated “its demand for the immediate and complete cessation of all Israeli settlement activities in all of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan.” The voting on the resolution came just days after India had abstained in the UN General Assembly on a resolution that called for an immediate humanitarian truce in the Israel-Hamas conflict leading to a cessation of hostilities and unhindered humanitarian access in the Gaza strip.

The 193-member UN General Assembly met in a resumed 10th Emergency Special Session in October and voted on the draft resolution submitted by Jordan and co-sponsored by over 40 nations including Bangladesh, Maldives, Pakistan, Russia and South Africa.

The resolution titled ‘Protection of civilians and upholding legal and humanitarian obligations’ was adopted with 120 nations voting in favour, 14 against and 45 abstentions. Along with India, countries abstaining on the resolution included Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.

In its Explanation of Vote after the UNGA resolution last month, India’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Yojna Patel had said “In a world where differences and disputes should be resolved by dialogue, this august body should be deeply concerned at recourse to violence. That too, when it happens on a scale and intensity that is an affront to basic human values.” Describing the terror attacks in Israel on October 7 as shocking, Patel said they deserve condemnation.

“Terrorism is a malignancy and knows no borders, nationality or race. The world should not buy into any justification of terror acts. Let us keep aside differences, unite and adopt a zero-tolerance approach to terrorism,” she had said.