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Lost voice

Lost voice: On India’s abstention on the Gaza vote at the UN

India should have made efforts for a consensus on the Gaza vote at the UN

India has explained its decision to abstain at last week’s vote at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) for a ceasefire in the Israel-Palestine conflict as its way of protesting the omission of any “ explicit condemnation ” of the heinous October 7 terror attack by Hamas militants on Israel. India’s principled stand on terrorism, which the Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN articulated , cannot be questioned. However, the death-toll is rising and the need for global solidarity to stop the violence is imperative , a task that New Delhi, with its traditionally balanced position on the issue, and its recent G-20 role in bridging global divides, would have been well suited to play. Every other country in the neighbourhood , in the extended BRICS grouping and much of the developing world, was part of the 120 countries that voted for the UNGA resolution on Friday. Regardless of its reasoning , New Delhi had other options which it overlooked or ignored. The resolution at the emergency special session entitled “Protection of civilians and upholding legal and humanitarian obligations ” does include a paragraph “ condemning all acts of violence aimed at Palestinian and Israeli civilians, including all acts of terrorism and indiscriminate attacks”. India could have played a prominent diplomatic role with countries proposing the resolution to ensure clearer mention of the October 7 attacks, including during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent conversation with Jordan’s King Abdullah bin Al Hussein about the conflict. India’s leadership of such an amendment may have fared better than the Canadian proposal that failed to secure two-thirds of the UNGA membership present. Alternatively, India could have voted for the motion , while recording in its Explanation of Vote (EoV) that it regretted the omissions of the specific references to the October 7 attacks, which is what France did. In its EoV, India did not itself name Hamas for the terror attacks, nor has it so far designated Hamas as a terror group, leaving some doubt about the explicit mentions that New Delhi had wanted. On the other hand, if India wanted to convey a strong line on fighting terrorism, it could have voted against the resolution, along with the U.S., the U.K. and Israel.

India’s abstention indicates a shift in the Modi government’s stand, seeking a ‘safe’ position, rather than taking a stand on the violence in Israel and Palestine. This is a departure from India’s UNGA vote in 2018 that called for Israel to cease “excessive force” in retaliatory strikes on Gaza at the time, and is more in line-with its decision to abstain on votes at the UN in 2021 on resolutions critical of Russia’s war in Ukraine. The government lost an opportunity to make India’s voice heard in the growing geopolitical conflict. Abstaining on a matter of global importance without making efforts to forge a consensus is out of-sync with a desire to be the voice of the Global South, or for a seat at the global high-table .

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Abstention (noun) – an instance of declining to vote for or against a proposal or motion.

मतदान न करना

 

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Consensus (noun) – Agreement, unanimity, accord, harmony, concurrence

सहमति

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Abstain (verb) – formally decline to vote either for or against a proposal or motion.

परहेज़ करना (मतदान से)

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Ceasefire (noun) – Truce, armistice, suspension of hostilities, peace agreement

युद्धविराम

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Explicit (adjective) – Clear, unambiguous, unequivocal, direct, distinct

स्पष्ट

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Condemnation (noun) – Denunciation, censure, criticism, disapproval, rebuke

निन्दा

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Heinous (adjective) – Atrocious, monstrous, wicked, evil, abominable

घोर

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Militant (noun) – Fighter, combatant, extremist, insurgent, rebel

लड़ाका

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Principled (adjective) – Moral, ethical, upright, righteous, virtuous

सैद्धांतिक

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Articulate (verb) – Express, convey, communicate, enunciate, voice out

स्पष्ट रूप से व्यक्त करना

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Death toll (noun) – Number of deaths, fatality count, casualty number

मृत्यु संख्या

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Solidarity (noun) – Unity, unanimity, cohesion, fellowship, camaraderie

एकता

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Imperative (adjective) – Essential, crucial, vital, necessary, pressing

अत्‍यावश्‍यक

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Bridge the divide (phrase) – Reconcile differences, bring together, unify, harmonize

अंतर को दूर करना

 

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Neighbourhood (noun) – Vicinity, locality, district, area, region

पड़ोस

 

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Resolution (noun) – Proposal; Decision, determination, declaration, edict

प्रस्ताव

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Regardless of (phrase) – Irrespective of, no matter what, in spite of, without consideration of

बिना ध्यान दिए

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Reasoning (noun) – Logic, rationale, argument, thinking

तर्क

 

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Overlook (verb) – Miss, ignore, neglect, disregard, bypass

अनदेखा करना

 

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Uphold (verb) – Support, maintain, defend, validate, endorse

समर्थन करना

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Humanitarian (adjective) – Compassionate, charitable, altruistic, benevolent, kind-hearted

मानवीय

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Obligation (noun) – Duty, responsibility, commitment, liability, onus

कर्तव्य

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Condemn (verb) – Criticize, denounce, reprove, decry, censure

निंदा करना

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Prominent (adjective) – Notable, distinguished, outstanding, conspicuous, remarkable

प्रमुख

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Diplomatic (adjective) – Tactful, sensitive, discreet, suave, polished

कूटनीतिक

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Amendment (noun) – Modification, alteration, change, revision, reform

संशोधन

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Fare (verb) – Progress, perform

करना

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Secure (verb) – Obtain, get, achieve, acquire, clinch

प्राप्त करना

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Motion (noun) – Proposal, suggestion, initiative, move

प्रस्ताव

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Regret (verb) – Lament, feel sorry for, rue, apologize for

पछताना

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Omission (noun) – Neglect, oversight, exclusion, forgetting

चूक

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Designated (adjective) – Specified, stipulated, nominated, named

निर्दिष्ट

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Convey (verb) – Communicate, express, indicate, show

बताना

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Seek (verb) – Try, attempt, aim, strive for, quest for

खोजना

 

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Departure (noun) – Exit, leaving, going away, divergence

प्रस्थान

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Call for (phrasal verb) – Require, demand, need, necessitate

मांग करना

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Retaliatory (adjective) – Reprisal, counter, avenging, vengeful

प्रतिशोधपूर्वक

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Strike (noun) – Attack, offensive, raid, blitz

हमला

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In line with (phrase) – According to, consistent with, in accordance with, in agreement with

के अनुसार

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Critical of (phrase) – Disapproving of, opposed to, against

आलोचना करनेवाला

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Forge (verb) – Create, establish, develop, form

बनाना

 

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Out of sync (phrase) – Not in agreement, not in harmony, not in tune

मेल खाने वाला नहीं

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Global south (noun) – The term used for countries which are in the southern part of the world, mostly developing nations

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High table (noun) – A term referring to a position of authority, influence, or leadership in international politics or another sphere.