India backs UNGA resolution against Israeli occupation of Palestine
India has voted in favor of a United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution, titled "Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine," demanding Israel's withdrawal from Palestinian territories occupied since 1967. The resolution, introduced by Senegal on Tuesday, was supported by a total of 157 nations. Eight countries, including Israel and the United States, voted against it, while several others, including Cameroon and Czechia, abstained from voting.
Resolution advocates for Palestinian self-determination
The UNGA resolution stressed Palestinians's right to self-determination and calls for a two-state solution. This would see Israel and Palestine living peacefully within borders defined before the 1967 conflict. The resolution also demands Israel comply with international law as per an International Court advisory opinion dated July 19, 2024, "including...to cease immediately all new settlement activities..to evacuate all settlers from the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and to put an end to its unlawful acts."
Resolution opposes changes in Gaza, supports Syrian resolution
It also denounced any attempt at demographic or territorial change in the Gaza Strip, particularly moves that would shrink Gaza's land. Apart from this, India also backed a separate resolution calling for Israel's withdrawal from the occupied Syrian Golan Heights. This second resolution was passed with 97 votes in favor and eight against, including Australia and Canada. It stresses the illegality of Israeli settlement construction in the Golan Heights since 1967.
India's votes align with its longstanding position
The second resolution declares Israel's imposition of laws in the Golan Heights as "null and void." It expressed deep concern that Israel has not withdrawn from the Syrian Golan, occupied since 1967, contrary to relevant Security Council and General Assembly resolutions. "The continued occupation of the Syrian Golan and its de facto annexation constitute a stumbling block in the way of achieving a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in the region," the resolution noted.
