India has voted in favour of a United Nations resolution condemning Israeli settlements in Palestine, reported PTI on Monday.

The draft resolution, titled “Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and the occupied Syrian Golan”, was passed on November 9 by the Special Political and Decolonisation Committee (Fourth Committee) of the United Nations General Assembly.

While 145 nations voted in favour of the resolution, seven voted against it and 18 abstained.

India was joined by Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, France, Japan, Malaysia, Maldives, Russia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and the UK, among others, for condemning settlement activities in Palestine.

The UN resolution also condemns “the disruption of the livelihood of protected persons, the forced transfer of civilians and the annexation of land, whether de facto or through national legislation”.

It further reaffirmed that the Israeli settlements in Palestine were “illegal and an obstacle to peace and economic and social development”.

The United States, along with Canada, Hungary, Israel, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia and Nauru voted, against the resolution.

This comes as Israel’s war on Gaza entered its seventh week on Monday. At least 11,078 Palestinians, including 4,506 children, had been killed in the Israeli offensive in Gaza till Saturday. The Gaza health ministry has been unable to update the toll since then, reported the Associated Press.

The Israeli aggression in Gaza came in response to the Palestinian militant group Hamas launching a surprise attack in southern Israel, killing over 1,200 people and taking over 200 hostages on October 7.

India’s stand

India has said that it views the attack on Israel on October 7 as a terrorist attack but has reiterated its support for negotiations towards a two-state solution for the Israel-Palestine conflict.

On October 12, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that there “must be resumption of direct negotiations towards establishing a sovereign, independent and viable state of Palestine living within secure and recognised borders side by side at peace with Israel”.

However, on October 28, India abstained from voting on a UN General Assembly resolution for an “immediate, durable and sustained humanitarian truce” between Israeli forces and Hamas militants in Gaza, stating that the October 7 attack was shocking. It also called on Hamas to immediately release hostages.

India’s Deputy Permanent Representative Ambassador Yojna Patel said that India was “deeply concerned at the deteriorating security situation” and the loss of civilian lives in the conflict. “The escalation of hostilities in the region will only exacerbate the humanitarian crisis,” Patel said. “It is necessary for all parties to display the utmost responsibility.”

She added: “Casualties in Gaza are a continuing concern and the crisis needs to be addressed.”