Skip to main content

Lobbying intensifies for India’s UNGA vote on Jerusalem

   | Photo Credit: AP

The draft resolution on the status of Jerusalem to be presented on Thursday expresses deep “regret” on the US’ stated position on Jerusalem and calls for “the final status of Jerusalem to be resolved through negotiations.”

International lobbying has intensified to get India on board for the session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Thursday where the biggest platform of the UN is likely to adopt a resolution in opposition to U.S. President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The meeting of UNGA comes in the backdrop of a similar meeting of the Arab League which has asked for reversing of the decision even as Indian diplomats indicated that they will maintain that third parties do not decide Indian “foreign policy post
“Third parties don’t decide our foreign policy postures. For us this is all par for the course,” said a senior Indian official in response to a question on whether India will vote with the Arab countries or support President Trump’s decision.“We have met with Minister of State for External Affairs M.J. Akbar ten days ago to discuss the US decision and the Indian position in support of the Palestinian case and the peace process,” said a senior Arab diplomat indicating that a diplomatic team representing Arab concerns on Jerusalem held consultation with the officials of the Ministry of External Affairs on Wednesday. However, there was no indication from the MEA if India would support either party.
The draft resolution on the status of Jerusalem to be presented on Thursday expresses deep “regret” on the US’ stated position on Jerusalem and calls for “the final status of Jerusalem to be resolved through negotiations.” A similar resolution was vetoed by the US at the UN Security Council although the US found itself isolated with all other members voting in favour.
Using a sharp tone in a tweet after the UNSC vote, U.S. ambassador Nikki Haley indicated that the US will watch the individual votes in the UNGA closely.
“At the UN, we’re always asked to do more & give more. So, when we make a decision, at the will of the American people, about where to locate our embassy, we don’t expect those we’ve helped to target us. On Thursday there will be a vote criticising our choice. The US will be taking names,” Ms. Haley said.
India had earlier issued a cautious statement only reaffirming its previous position. “India's position on Palestine is independent and consistent. It is shaped by our views and interests, and not determined by any third country,” the official spokesperson Raveesh Kumar had said on December 7 after the declaration of the US President which drew swift condemnation from across the Arab world.
Soon after President Trump’s declaration on Jerusalem, the Arab League had reached out to India even as it condemned the decision and urged President Trump to reverse the decision.
Academic Prof P.R. Kumaraswamy, an expert on Israeli politics in JNU said that India should stay away from the voting to show its opposition to the “exclusivist” approach by both the Palestinian and the Israeli sides.
“US declaration on Jerusalem can not become our problem. We have to point out that Jerusalem belongs to all its claimants and the claimants need to be reminded that they have repeatedly come up with exclusivist claims,” said Prof. Kumaraswamy.
“India should not even abstain. Our representatives to the UN General Assembly should stay absent during the voting which will express our position effectively,” he said.







Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

As many as 12 killed in New York’s deadliest fire in decades

More than 160 firefighters helped bring the blaze under control. (Source: Fire Department New York/Twitter) A massive fire ignited accidentally by a three-year-old boy swept through a five-story apartment building in New York, killing at least 12 people including a toddler and injuring four others in the deadliest blaze to hit the city in decades. The fire broke out around 6:50 pm (local time) yesterday on the first floor of the Prospect Avenue apartment in the Bronx borough of the city and spread quickly, officials said, adding that the cause of the blaze is under investigation. “We found that this fire started in a kitchen on the first floor,” fire commissioner Daniel Nigro said. “It started from a young boy, three and a half years old, playing with the burners on the stove. The fire got started, the mother was not aware of it – she was alerted by the young man screaming.” The boy’s mother fled with her two children, leaving the door to the apartment open – allowing t...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ukraine crisis: Exchange of hundreds of prisoners takes place

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko attends a ceremony to welcome prisoners of war (POWs), released after the exchange with pro-Russian separatists, upon their arrival at an airport in Kharkiv, Ukraine December 27, 2017. (Source: Reuters)  Ukraine and separatist rebels in the east of the country have exchanged hundreds of prisoners, in one of the biggest swaps since the conflict began in 2014. Around 230 people were sent to rebel-held areas in return for 74 prisoners who had been held by pro-Russia rebels in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, BBC reported on Wednesday. It was the first swap in 15 months. The release and exchange of prisoners was one of the points in the Minsk peace agreement, signed in 2015. The deal has stalled since and analysts say the swap does not signify wider progress. Both sides continue to hold other prisoners. The number of prisoners swapped was lower than initially announced after dozens of people who were meant to be returned to rebel-held terr...
Post a Comment
Read more

Nepal declares ban on solo, blind and double amputee climbers from Everest

This ban is likely to irk solo mountaineers, who enjoy the challenge of climbing alone. In a bid to prevent accidents, Nepal has banned solo climbers from climbing its mountains, including Mount Everest, reported news agency AFP. Earlier on Friday, the cabinet declared revised regulations of the Himalayan nation’s mountaineering, where banning solo climbers from scaling its mountains was one of the key measures being flagged ahead of the 2018 spring climbing season. The cabinet also declared a ban on double amputee and blind climbers, even though Everest has drawn multitudes of mountaineers wanting to overcome their disabilities and achieve the formidable feat. “The changes have barred solo expeditions, which were allowed before,” Maheshwor Neupane, secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, told AFP. Neupane added that the law was revised to make mountaineering safer and decrease deaths. Earlier in April this year, an experienced...
Post a Comment
Read more