Missed chance to stand for justice: Palestine on India's abstention

New Delhi: The Foreign Minister of the Palestinian National Authority has written to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar after India abstained on a resolution proposing an inquiry into violations in the recent violence on Gaza by Israel.

"India missed an opportunity to join the international community at this turning point, both crucial and long overdue, on the path to accountability, justice and peace," Riyad al-Maliki wrote, as reported by the Indian Express.

While 24 countries voted in favour of a commission of inquiry, nine voted against, and 14, including India, abstained on the proposal. Furthermore, India at the Council repealed its strong support to "the just Palestinian cause" it had pledged earlier on May 16 through the Permanent Representative of India to the UN for a diplomatic, two-way stance in its statement at the Council.

In his letter dated May 30, Al-Maliki wrote that the resolution is the byproduct of extensive multilateral consultations and based on investigations into Israel's violation by States, United Nations experts, Human Rights treaty bodies and international organization.

He noted that India's abstention stifled the important work of the Human Rights Council for advancing human rights for all, including Palestinians who have been excluded from the principle of accountability, justice and peace.

He further warned that if the root causes for the crisis - dispossession, displacement, colonization, oppression, and violation of human rights - are not prioritized, the condition would continue to deteriorate with far-reaching and grave repercussions.