India votes for UN resolution backing Palestine two state solution, breaks abstention trend

India voted in favour of a UN General Assembly resolution endorsing the New York Declaration on a peaceful settlement between Israel and the Palestinians and reaffirming support for the two-state solution. The resolution, introduced by France, was adopted on Friday with 142 nations voting in favour.

The resolution, titled “Endorsement of the New York Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution”, marked a significant step for India, which had previously abstained from four ceasefire-related resolutions on Gaza in the past three years. All Gulf Arab nations backed the measure, while Israel, the United States, Argentina, Hungary, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay and Tonga voted against it.

The seven-page declaration emerged from a July conference at UN headquarters co-hosted by Saudi Arabia and France, aimed at reviving negotiations on the decades-long conflict. It condemned the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and saw more than 250 hostages taken, while also criticising Israel’s retaliatory campaign in Gaza for widespread civilian casualties, destruction of infrastructure, and what it described as “siege and starvation.”

The declaration urged Israel to commit clearly to the two-state solution, end settlement activity and annexation plans in occupied territories, and halt violence and incitement against Palestinians. It further stated: “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.”

Israel strongly rejected the resolution. Foreign ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein posted on X: “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.”

The United States also opposed the declaration. The US Mission to the UN said it rejected both the conference and the resolution endorsing it. Former US diplomat Morgan Ortagus added: “Make no mistake, this resolution is a gift to Hamas.”

According to Israeli figures, the Hamas assault of October 2023 killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, with 251 hostages taken. Local health authorities in Gaza say more than 64,000 civilians have been killed since the war began.