India was among the large majority of 153 UN member States that endorsed a resolution in the UN General Assembly calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all hostages taken by Hamas during the October 7 terror attacks. Only 10 countries voted against the non-binding resolution, and one of the factors that possibly swayed India was the overwhelming support for a truce from the Global South. India’s vote was significant as it had abstained on a similar vote in October. It also backed the resolution despite an amendment seeking condemnation of Hamas being rejected. India sought to explain its vote by referring to the many dimensions of the conflict, including the terror attacks and the enormous humanitarian crisis. However, there is no escaping the fact that international criticism of Israel’s strikes in the Gaza Strip has grown, especially because of the killing of thousands of children and women.
US President Joe Biden has criticised Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, saying he runs the risk of losing global support because of the indiscriminate bombing of Gaza. The changing stance of friendly countries such as India should serve as a wake-up call for Netanyahu. Rather than remaining obstinate and insisting on continuing the conflict, irrespective of international support, Israel now needs to carefully consider the fallout of its actions and their implications for the wider region. It was easy for a country such as India, which suffered terror attacks such as the carnage in Mumbai in 2008, to understand Israel’s anger after the Hamas assault, but Netanyahu’s current course of action now carries the risk of further isolation of Israel and creating dangerous instability in West Asia.
