NEW DELHI: India abstained, along with 14 other countries, voting on a resolution at the UN Human Rights Council condemning Israel for violence in Gaza. The resolution was passed with 23 countries voting for the resolution and sight countries against.

In a previous age, India would have been among the countries voting for such a resolution and against Israel. It is a measure of the changing relations between India and Israel that India has abstained. In addition, India has a big grouse against the UN HRC itself for its stand on Kashmir.

On March 19, Israel’s acting foreign minister, Israel Katz wrote to foreign minister Sushma Swaraj asking for India’s support “given the significant relationship and friendship between our countries and the outrageous bias of this report”. Israel believes the so-called “Accountability” resolution said the Council pronounced judgment against Israel without instituting a commission of inquiry as promised, instead condemned Israel for “disproportionate use of force.”

According to the Israel foreign minister, the HRC resolution “absolves Hamas of responsibility”. “The report ignored the publicly stated purpose of the events — to storm and breach Israel’s border — and does not give any consideration to the possibility that a mob which includes Hamas militants would storm and attack the 70000 Israeli civilians living in towns and communities adjacent to the Gaza border.”

He added that the UNHRC ignored the fact that eight months of violent riots, weapons, and infiltration attempts by militants were available for documentation, yet only two incidents were felt to be hostile to Israel.

The other countries to abstain were UK, Japan , Italy, Denmark, Iceland and Nepal. Hungary, the Czech Republic , Australia , Austria, Brazil etc.

