With 903 of its soldiers deployed on the ground along the Blue Line, the de facto border between Israel and Lebanon, India is among the largest troop contributors to the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
Yet, bizarrely, India has excluded itself from a letter signed by 104 countries and the African Union condemning Israel for banning the U.N. Secretary-General from entering Israeli territory. Even more embarrassingly, India initially refrained from signing a statement by 34 UNIFIL troop-contributing countries condemning recent attacks on UNIFIL positions, in which five peacekeepers were injured, before eventually joining six other nations in the condemnation.
“India has always prided itself on being a strong supporter of the U.N. and of multilateralism. How can we implicitly condone a member state banning the U.N. Secretary-General? And why would we not wish to join 104 countries in deploring such a step?” asked senior Congress leader and former U.N. Under-Secretary-General Shashi Tharoor.
Israel declaring UN Secretary-General ‘persona non grata’
On October 2, Israel’s foreign minister Israel Katz declared Secretary-General Antonio Guterres persona non grata, stating that he was no longer welcome to set foot on Israeli soil. Katz called Guterres “an anti-Israel Secretary-General who lends support to terrorists.”
This followed Guterres’ statement condemning Iran’s attack on Israel, which was not as strong as Israel desired. Earlier, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had referred to the U.N. as “a swamp full of anti-Semitic bile.”
In the 79 years of the U.N.’s history, no country has ever declared a U.N. Secretary-General persona non grata – until now. (In 1961, the Soviet Union refused to recognise Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold as a U.N. official in protest of the murder of Patrice Lumumba, the first Prime Minister of the Republic of Congo, now the Democratic Republic of Congo).
Established in 1978 and expanded since the Israel-Hezbollah war in 2006, UNIFIL has more than 10,000 peacekeepers from 50 countries, with Indonesia and Italy contributing the largest numbers. India contributes the third-largest contingent to the peacekeeping mission.
IDF breaching UNIFIL positions
As Israel moves ahead with its ground attack across the border with Lebanon, it is now apparent that it has no regard for the safety and security of UN personnel and property. According to UNIFIL, early on Sunday, (October 13), three platoons of Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) with Merkava tanks crossed the Blue Line and forcibly destroyed the main gate of a U.N. position in Ramyah.
After the tanks left, shells exploded 100 meters away, releasing smoke that spread across the base and sickened U.N. personnel. Fifteen peacekeepers suffered skin irritation and gastrointestinal reactions, possibly indicating a chemical attack. “The peacekeepers are receiving treatment,” UNIFIL stated. “Breaching and entering a U.N. position is a flagrant violation of international law and Security Council Resolution 1701 (2006).”
Earlier, on Oct. 8-9, Israeli forces fired on several UNIFIL positions, including its headquarters in Naqoura. The firing hit the “entrance to the bunker where peacekeepers were sheltering” and damaged “vehicles and a communications system,” according to UNIFIL.
Five peacekeepers were wounded as a result of Israeli gunfire, two from Sri Lanka and two from Indonesia. The fifth person’s identity was not known. The Indonesian soldiers were manning a watch tower which came under direct Israeli gunfire. Sri Lanka’s foreign ministry said it “strongly condemned” the attack.
U.S President Joe Biden said he was “absolutely, positively” urging Israel to stop firing at U.N. peacekeepers. Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris called the attacks “despicable” and a breach of international law. He said it was an “extraordinarily concerning development.” The leaders of France, Italy, and Spain also condemned the attacks on the peacekeepers saying that they were unjustifiable and should immediately end. Russia said it was “outraged” and demanded Israel refrain from “hostile actions” against the peacekeepers.
The U.N. Security Council too has rallied around Guterres saying “any decision not to engage with the U.N. Secretary-General or the United Nations is counterproductive, especially in the context of escalating tensions in the Middle East.”
The statement that was issued by the Chilean Foreign Ministry called for “respect for the U.N.’s leadership and its mission” and reaffirmed “full support and confidence in the Secretary-General and his work.” It was endorsed by at least 10 of the U.N. Security Council members, including France, Russia, China, Slovenia, and Switzerland. The U.S., U.K., Japan, and South Korea did not sign it.
Meanwhile, a few hours after the IDF forces breached the UNIFIL positions on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appealed directly to Guterres to withdraw the U.N. forces from their areas of operation, which the latter and the troop-contributing countries have so far refused to do.
“I would like to appeal directly to the U.N. Secretary-General. The time has come to withdraw UNIFIL from Hezbollah strongholds and from the combat zones”, said Netanyahu. “Mr. Secretary-General, get the UNIFIL forces out of harm’s way. It should be done right now, immediately.”
In response to Netanyahu but not referring to his appeal for the withdrawal of UNIFIL forces, Guterres reiterated that “the safety and security of UN personnel must be guaranteed and the inviolability of UN premises be respected.”
India not forthcoming to defend Guterres
India has been a major troop contributor to the U.N. having taken part in some 50 peacekeeping missions with a total contribution exceeding 200,000 troops and a significant number of police personnel.
More than 160 Indian peacekeepers have died serving under the UN flag as of September 2022. That with such a sterling record in U.N. peacekeeping, India is not forthcoming to defend the Secretary-General (implicitly the U.N. itself) has baffled many observers.
“It is inexplicable why India did not join the 104 countries that signed a letter condemning Israel for declaring U.N. Secretary-General persona non grata. India broke ranks with Brazil and South Africa, its partners in BRICS. India also broke ranks with many countries of South Asia, West Asia, and Africa with whom it has friendly and cordial relationships. India should have been among the first to sign the letter,” said former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram.
For a country aspiring to be the leader of the global south, not aligning with the developing world to defend the U.N. is a serious diplomatic faux pas. When the BRICS nations meet next week in Kazan, Russia, where the leadership of the Global South will be a matter of serious contention between India and China, such a major diplomatic miscalculation will the albatross around Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s neck. It seems External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar has some questions to answer.
E.D. Mathew is a former U.N. spokesperson. He posts @edmathew on X.
