'Mischievous': Sonia condemns India skipping UN vote on Gaza ceasefire
Former Congress President Sonia Gandhi has condemned the Indian government's decision to abstain from the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) vote calling for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. In an editorial for The Hindu, she highlighted the Congress's "long-standing and principled" position on the Israel-Palestine conflict. She said the party advocates direct talks between both parties to establish a sovereign, independent, and secure Palestine, coexisting peacefully alongside Israel.
Why does this story matter?
On Friday, India abstained from voting on a UNGA resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and uninterrupted aid in Gaza. The resolution—presented by Jordan and co-sponsored by over 40 countries—was passed with the support of 120 nations; 14 voted against it, and 45 abstained. It reportedly lacked reference to Hamas's terror attacks. Since Hamas's surprise October 7 attack on Israel, the latter has been carrying out retaliatory strikes in Gaza, resulting in over 8,000 fatalities so far.
Congress opposes India's abstention on UN resolution
Gandhi expressed strong disagreement with the Indian government's abstention from the UNGA vote. She added it was "unfortunate" that several influential nations were being partisan In the editorial titled "A war where humanity is on trial now," she also pointed out that many on both the Israeli and Palestinian sides view dialogue as the only way forward. Notably, the resolution demanded an "immediate, durable, and sustained humanitarian truce leading to a cessation of hostilities" between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
India abstains from voting on Jordan-drafted resolution
India chose not to vote on the Jordan-initiated UNGA resolution that sought a truce between Israel and Hamas but did not denounce the latter's attack. However, India supported a Canada-proposed amendment to include a paragraph condemning Hamas. External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar clarified that the Hamas terrorist attack warranted condemnation, leading to India's abstention from voting and underscoring India's firm stance against terrorism.
Jaishankar highlights need for consistent position on terrorism
Speaking at an event in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, Jaishankar emphasized the importance of India maintaining a consistent position on terrorism. "We will have no credibility if we say that when terrorism impacts us, it's very serious; when it happens to somebody else, it's not serious," he stated. Referring to several stances by his ministry, Jaishankar said right judgments were necessary abroad, like good governance at home. He again justified India's decision to buy oil from Russia amid the Russia-Ukraine crisis.
