New Delhi: India sees the UN Security Council resolution calling for an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza and the “unconditional” release of all hostages by Hamas, as a “positive development”, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday (March 28).
While many world leaders welcomed the resolution soon after its announcement, India’s reaction came three days later.
“Regarding Gaza ceasefire…recently there was a United Security Council resolution which was adopted. We see that resolution as a positive development,” said Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, per news agency ANI.
“Beyond that, our position on Israel-Gaza conflict is very well known and has been articulated on multiple occasions. We have repeatedly called for de-escalation and preventing the spread of the conflict,” Jaiswal said.
“We have condemned terrorism, called for release of hostages, sought protection of civilians and reiterated the need for safe and timely delivery of humanitarian assistance and aid for the people of Palestine and we also stand with the two-state solution,” he added.
On March 25, the UNSC passed a resolution calling for an “immediate ceasefire” until the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
The resolution came almost six months into the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
While the US abstained from the vote, the remaining 14 council members voted for the resolution.
Several countries reacted to the development, with many expressing hope that the resolution would be permanently implemented.
China’s ambassador to the UN Zhang Jun said, “After repeated vetoes of the council’s actions, the United States finally decided to stop obstructing the council’s demands for an immediate ceasefire. Despite all this, the US still tried to find all kinds of excuses and made accusations against China.”
“For the lives that have already perished, the council resolution today comes too late, but for the millions of people in Gaza who remain mired in an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe, this resolution, if fully and effectively implemented, could still bring long-awaited hope,” Al Jazeera reported him as saying.
Russia’s ambassador to the UN Vasily Alekseyevich Nebenzya said that said Moscow hopes the resolution will be used in the “interests of peace” rather than advancing the “inhumane Israeli operation against Palestinians”.
He said Russia preferred a version of the text that demanded that a Ramadan ceasefire would lead to “a permanent sustainable ceasefire”.
“We are disappointed that it did not make it through. Nevertheless, we believe it is fundamentally important to vote in favour of peace. The council must continue to work on achieving a permanent ceasefire,” he said, Al Jazeera reported.
French ambassador to the UN Nicolas de Riviere said, “The Security Council’s silence on Gaza was becoming deafening. It is high time now for the council to finally contribute to finding a solution.”
He also said that work needs to be done to establish a permanent ceasefire and to revive the political process to bring about the two-state solution.
UK ambassador to the UN Barbara Woodward, per Al Jazeera, said that London “regrets” that the resolution did not condemn the October 7 Hamas attack and stressed that the United Kingdom “condemns” the attacks “unequivocally”.
Woodward also said that the resolution sends a “clear” message on the need for international humanitarian law to be upheld.
“We hope that Israel will comply with the requirements of this resolution without delay,” Turkish foreign affairs spokesman Oncu Keceli wrote on X.
The European Commission’s president, Ursula von der Leyen, welcomed the passing of the resolution.
“Implementation of this resolution is vital for the protection of all civilians,” she said on X (formerly Twitter).
I welcome the adoption by UN Security Council of a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and the immediate & unconditional release of all hostages.
Implementation of this resolution is vital for the protection of all civilians.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) March 25, 2024
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez applauded the resolution, saying it was “in line with what Spain has been saying since the start of the conflict.
“The realisation of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side-by-side in peace and security is the only realistic and viable solution for the region,” he wrote on X.
The resolution was drafted in part by Algeria, the Arab bloc’s current member on the Security Council, with a diverse array of countries including Slovenia and Switzerland.
“The Palestinian people have been suffering terribly for five months,” said Algerian ambassador to the UN, Amar Bendjama.
“The bloodbath has gone far too long,” he said. “Finally, the Security Council is finally responding to the calls of the international community and the Secretary-General.”
