Bharat refrained from voting on a resolution presented by the UN Human Rights Council or UNHRC demanding an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and calling for the halt of arms sales to Israel. The resolution, titled – Human Rights Situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and the Obligation to Ensure Accountability and Justice – also stressed upon the need for accountability for war crimes in Palestine.
Thirteen countries, including Bharat, chose to abstain from voting on the resolution. Notable among them were Japan, The Netherlands, France, and Romania. The resolution received support from 28 countries, including China, Brazil, and South Africa, while six countries, including the US and Germany, voted against it.
The resolution demanded Israel to end its occupation of Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, since 1967. It also called for the immediate lifting of the blockade on the Gaza Strip and condemned actions by Israel that could amount to ethnic cleansing in Palestine.
Additionally, the resolution condemned the targeted killing of civilians in an attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023, and demanded the release of remaining hostages in accordance with international law.
Bharat backed three out of five resolutions adopted by the UNHRC, including those on the rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination and demanding Israel to cease all settlement-related plans and activities in the occupied Syrian Golan. Another resolution calling for the end of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory and the occupied Syrian Golan was also backed by Bharat.
Furthermore, a resolution titled – Rights of the Child: Realizing the Rights of the Child and Inclusive Social Protection – was adopted without a vote.
Bharat’s decision to abstain from the resolution reflects its nuanced stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict within the framework of international diplomacy.
