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India Votes Against Israeli Settlements In Palestine At UN

This comes weeks after India abstained from a vote on a UN resolution calling for ‘immediate, durable and sustained humanitarian truce’ between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

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The United Nations General Assembly
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India has voted in favour of a United Nations resolution that condemns Israeli settlements in Palestine. 

The resolution, condemning settlement activities in "Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan", was approved on Thursday, reports said.

Among the seven countries that opposed it are the United States and Canada. Eighteen countries abstained from the vote.

This comes weeks after India abstained from a vote on a UN resolution calling for "immediate, durable and sustained humanitarian truce" between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The war between Israel and Hamas, triggered by the October 7 attacks on Israel, has claimed over 11,000 lives in Gaza. About 1,200 Israelis were killed in the Hamas attacks and over 200 taken hostage.

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Explaining its decision to abstain in the earlier vote, sources in the government had said India is concerned over the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Gaza but also believes that there can be no equivocation on terror.

"The Resolution in the UNGA did not include any explicit condemnation of the terrorist attacks of October 7. An amendment was moved to include this aspect, prior to the vote on the main resolution," PTI quoted a source as having said.

India voted in favour of the amendment and it obtained 88 votes in favour but not the requisite two-thirds majority, the report said.

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"In the absence of the all elements of our approach not being covered in the final text of the resolution, we abstained in the vote on its adoption," the source added, it mentioned.

The report quoting sources said New Delhi's decision on the resolution was guided by its "steadfast and consistent position" on the issue and its explanation of vote reiterated this comprehensively and holistically.

Referring to the attacks on Israel by Hamas, the sources said there can be "no equivocation on terror".

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