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India on Friday voted in favour of a resolution in the UN General Assembly that endorses the ‘New York Declaration’ on the peaceful settlement of the Palestine issue and implementation of the two-state solution. The resolution, introduced by France, was adopted with an overwhelming 142 nations voting in favour, 10 against and 12 abstentions.
India was among the 142 nations that backed the measure, titled ‘Endorsement of the New York Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution’. All Gulf Arab nations also supported it, while Israel, the United States, Argentina, Hungary, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay and Tonga voted against.
The declaration was circulated at a high-level international conference co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia at the UN headquarters in July, aimed at reviving stalled talks to resolve the decades-old conflict.
In the seven-page declaration, leaders agreed to “take collective action to end the war in Gaza, to achieve a just, peaceful and lasting settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on the effective implementation of the two-state solution, and to build a better future for Palestinians, Israelis and all peoples of the region”.
The text condemned the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel that left 1,200 people dead and more than 250 taken hostages. It also criticised Israel’s retaliatory campaign in Gaza, citing widespread civilian casualties, destruction of civilian infrastructure, and “siege and starvation” that have driven a humanitarian disaster.
The declaration called on the Israeli leadership to issue a clear public commitment to the two-state solution, including a sovereign and viable Palestinian state.
It also urged Israel to “immediately end violence and incitement against Palestinians, to immediately halt all settlement, land grabs and annexation activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, publicly renounce any annexation project or settlement policy, and put an end to settlers’ violence”.
It reaffirmed “support for the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination” and said, “Absent decisive measures towards the two-state solution and robust international guarantees, the conflict will deepen, and regional peace will remain elusive.”
Asserting that “the war in Gaza must end now,” it added: “Gaza is an integral part of a Palestinian State and must be unified with the West Bank. There must be no occupation, siege, territorial reduction, or forced displacement.”
US, ISRAEL DENOUNCE RESOLUTION
Israel rejected the move. “Once again, it has been proven how much the General Assembly is a political circus detached from reality: in the dozens of clauses of the declaration endorsed by this resolution, there is not a single mention that Hamas is a terrorist organisation,” Israeli foreign ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein said in a post on X.
The US Mission to the UN also opposed the resolution. “Make no mistake, this resolution is a gift to Hamas,” said US diplomat Morgan Ortagus, calling it political grandstanding. The US said it had opposed both the July conference and the subsequent resolution that endorsed the declaration.
According to Israeli tallies, the October 7 Hamas attack killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and 251 were taken hostage. Since then, more than 64,000 people – also mostly civilians – have been killed in Gaza, according to local health authorities.(Agencies)
