New Delhi: India has voted in favour of a United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution endorsing the New York Declaration, which calls for the peaceful settlement of the Palestinian issue and the implementation of a two-state solution.
The resolution, introduced by France, secured overwhelming support with 142 countries voting in favour. Ten nations, including the United States, Israel, Argentina, and Hungary, opposed the measure, while 12 abstained.
India’s “yes” vote comes amid heightened tensions following Israeli airstrikes on Hamas targets in Qatar and the continuing bombardment of Gaza, where more than 66,000 lives have been lost since October 2023.
New Delhi’s stance at the UN on the Palestinian question has fluctuated in recent years. Between 2023 and 2024, India voted in favour of Palestine-related resolutions on three occasions and abstained three times. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, since 2019, India has supported 54 resolutions and abstained on eight, endorsing long-standing positions on sovereignty, self-determination, and peaceful settlement, while opting out of more contentious emergency truce texts and advisory opinions.
The New York Declaration, adopted after a July international conference hosted by France and Saudi Arabia, urges Israel to reaffirm its commitment to a two-state framework. It calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, release of hostages, the creation of a viable Palestinian state, disarmament of Hamas, normalisation of ties between Israel and Arab nations, and collective security guarantees. French Ambassador Jérôme Bonnafont described it as “a single roadmap to deliver the two-state solution.”
Israel’s envoy to the UN, Danny Danon, dismissed the resolution as “a hollow gesture,” accusing it of rewarding Hamas and eroding the credibility of the Assembly.
The conflict escalated after Hamas’ October 7, 2023 offensive, which killed around 1,200 Israelis and saw 251 hostages taken to Gaza. Israel’s retaliatory strikes have devastated the Gaza Strip, home to 2.3 million people, sparking international concern. A ceasefire and hostage release deal announced in January 2025 broke down two months later after renewed Israeli airstrikes. Most recently, Israel expanded its military campaign with strikes in Doha, targeting Hamas’ political leadership.
India condemned the Doha strikes, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterating New Delhi’s call for dialogue, diplomacy, and restraint. In a conversation with Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, Modi stressed that India “stands firmly for peace and stability in the region and against terrorism in all forms.”
