The Indian government was one of the few “Global South” countries not on the list of signatories to a letter released this week condemning Israel, declared by Secretary-General António Guterres at the head of the United Nations. persona non grata.
indian newspaper hinduism reported The letter, which was circulated by Chile and had 104 signatories at the time of publication, called on Israel to reconsider Guterres' deportation out of respect for the United Nations as an organization, it was announced on Sunday. Ta. The ban was written in the letter as follows:[s] The ability of the United Nations to carry out tasks such as mediating conflicts and providing humanitarian assistance. ”
“As members of the United Nations, we call on you to respect the leadership of the United Nations and its mission,” the letter continued. “We reaffirm our full support and confidence in the Secretary-General and his work.”
of hinduism It pointed out that some of India's closest allies, including BRICS partners China and Russia, as well as European countries such as France and Switzerland, have also signed the letter. The list of countries that abstained from joining the letter included the United States, Israel's biggest ally, as well as Japan and South Korea.
In early October, the Israeli government announced it would ban Mr. Guterres from entering the country after he failed to condemn the massive missile attack on Iran. Israel's Foreign Ministry noted that Guterres did not directly identify Iran as the aggressor.
“Anyone who cannot unequivocally condemn Iran's heinous attack on Israel, as almost every country in the world does, has no right to set foot on Israeli soil,” Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said at the time. said.
The action ended nearly a year of tensions between Mr. Guterres, the larger United Nations agency and the state of Israel in the wake of the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
The October 7 attack left an estimated 1,200 people dead, dozens abducted and documented atrocities. Hamas is a genocidal jihadist terrorist organization headquartered in Gaza that relies heavily on Iranian financial support. State Department Estimation In 2020, Iran provided approximately $100 million annually to Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), and similar terrorist organizations.
Guterres initially issued a statement after the Oct. 7 attack, calling on “all parties…to avoid further escalation.” By the end of the month, Guterres appeared to blame Israel for attacks on his own people.
Guterres did not blame Hamas, saying in October 2023, “It is also important to recognize that attacks by Hamas did not occur in isolation.” “The Palestinian people have been subjected to a suffocating occupation for 56 years.”
Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan called Guterres' comments “shocking” and “horrifying”.
“His comments… constitute a justification for terrorism and murder,” Erdan charged. “It is sad that someone with such views is at the head of an organization founded after the Holocaust.”
The director of the World Holocaust Remembrance Center Yad Vashem also accused Guterres of having “failed” the “never again” test at the time. Chairman Dani Dayan said:
However, that [October 7] It will test the integrity of world leaders, intellectuals, and influential people who visit Yad Vashem and vow “never again.'' Those who seek to “understand”, look for a justifying context, do not categorically condemn the perpetrators, and do not demand the unconditional and immediate release of those abducted, fail the test.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres failed the test.
Since the attack, the Indian government has much more clearly condemned Hamas and Islamic extremist terrorism and unequivocally supported Israel.
Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a statement shortly after the attack: “The people of India stand firmly with Israel in this difficult time.” “India strongly and unequivocally condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.”
RP Singh, a spokesman for Prime Minister Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), issued a statement following the attack, saying Hamas “has taken over the Gaza Strip and is worse than ISIS.” You can't say that people on both sides were killed because they started it. ”
“This is not about supporting Israel or Palestine, but condemning acts of terrorism. This is not a war between two countries,” Singh declared. “What happened on the ground, what has been done, children being killed, caged, hostages taken. Who is dying, who is suffering? Israelis.”
Former Israeli Ambassador to India Daniel Carmon said in an interview in June that Israel had supported India in the recent conflict with Pakistan, the 1999 Kargil war, and in New Delhi, but at the same time had supported India in its efforts to establish a “Palestinian” state. publicly declared their support. It maintained diplomatic relations with Jerusalem.
“Indians always remind us that Israel was there for them during the Kargil war,” Carmon said. said Wynette. “Israel was one of the few countries that supported them and provided them with weapons. The Indians have not forgotten this and may now return the favor.”
In response to India's refusal to support jihad, Iran's “Supreme Leader” Ali Khamenei declared India an “enemy of Islam” in a statement in September.
“these [statements] “This is not acceptable as it is misinformed,” the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said. “Countries commenting on minorities are advised to check their own records before forming opinions about other countries.”
The differences in public opinion are significant because both Iran and India are members of BRICS, the anti-American Security and Economic Partnership Agreement named after its core members: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. Ta. Iran joined BRICS in January, along with Egypt, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Saudi Arabia was also invited, but at the time of writing is not believed to be a formal member of the group.
As a collective, BRICS has repeatedly condemned Israel for acting in self-defense against Hamas, but did not condemn the terrorists for the October 7 attack.
