At UNGA, India votes for the Palestinian Right to Self Determination

Context: India has voted in favour of another resolution at the UN General Assembly this week that backs the right of the Palestinian people to self determination.

India Voted for Palestinian Right to Self Determination

• Resolution: At a session of UNGA the Assembly adopted a resolution on the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination (document A/78/479). 
• Voting: In the recorded vote of 172 in favor to 4 against (Israel, Micronesia, Nauru, and the United States), with 10 abstentions (Cameroon, Guatemala, Kiribati, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, South Sudan, Togo, Tonga, and Tuvalu), India voted in support. 
  • While the resolution is non-binding, it serves as an indicator of global opinion.
  • While the UNGA does not have the power to enforce its resolutions as the UNSC does,
• Objective: The resolution was about the Right to self-determination and stressed the urgency of ending the Israeli occupation to achieve a lasting peace settlement 
  • Right to Self Determination is a basic right of people to determine their own future, political status, and independence, without any external duress, compulsion or coercion.  
• India’s Voting Trend: 
  • One week ago, for the first time, India voted in favor of a UNGA draft resolution that demanded an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict as well as the unconditional release of all hostages.
  • India had abstained from voting in all previous UNGA resolutions that had called for an immediate ceasefire. 
  • India’s voting pattern at the UN since last week has been able to balance the relations with the Arab world, which felt that India has tilted more towards Israel.
• Indian Ideology: India has been maintaining for a long that no durable peace is possible in the region without a two-state solution.

Also Read: Understanding The Israel Palestine Conflict

What is the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA)?

• UNGA is one of the principal six organs of the UN organization. 
• Nature: The General Assembly is the primary deliberative and policymaking body of the UN, representing all 193 member states.
• Objective: It addresses various global issues, from development goals to budgetary matters, and offers a platform for diplomatic discussions and resolutions.
  • It elects the non-permanent members of the Security Council and approves the UN Budget.
• Vote: It is the only organ of the UN in which all 193 members of the United Nations have an equal vote.

Source: Economic Times