Moscow:

Russia’s top diplomat has said that his country believes that India, Brazil and African countries should be represented in the UN Security Council on a permanent basis to ensure the representativeness of the global majority, state-owned TASS news agency reported on Sunday.

“Countries such as India, Brazil, as well as representatives of Africa should have been on a permanent basis in the Security Council for a long time. This is necessary to ensure representativeness, representation of the global majority,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told aif.ru. in an interview, TASS reported.

India has been at the forefront of years-long efforts calling for reform of the Security Council, including expansion in both its permanent and non-permanent categories, saying the 15-nation Council, founded in 1945, is not fit for purpose in the 21st Century and does not reflect contemporary geo-political realities. Delhi has underscored that it deserves a permanent seat at the horse-shoe table.

Last month, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer joined US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron in backing India’s bid for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

India last sat at the UN high table as a non-permanent member in 2021-22. There has been a growing demand to increase the number of permanent members to reflect the contemporary global reality. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

French national flags in front of the facade of the National Assembly in Paris. File
| Photo Credit: AFP

France said on Wednesday (October 2, 2024) it was sending additional military resources to the Middle East to tackle the Iranian threat and convened a United Nations (UN) Security Council (UNSC) meeting for later in the day after Tehran launched a barrage of missiles at Israel.

Iran said early on Wednesday (October 2, 2024) that its missile attack on Israel was finished barring further provocation, while Israel and the U.S. promised to retaliate against Tehran’s assault as fears of a wider war intensified.

“Committed to Israel’s security, France today mobilised its military resources in the Middle East to counter the Iranian threat,” the French Presidency said in a statement overnight after an emergency security Cabinet meeting to discuss the regional escalation.

“The head of state also reiterated France’s demand that Hezbollah cease its terrorist actions against Israel and its population.”

It gave no details on what additional military assets had been sent to the region and the Defence Ministry was not immediately available for comment. “Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot spoke with his U.S. counterpart Antony Blinken to coordinate diplomatic efforts,” the Ministry said.

Paris and Washington last week had attempted to secure a temporary ceasefire in Lebanon just hours before Israel launched air strikes that killed Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.

The Foreign Ministry said it had convened a UN Security Council meeting to discuss the situation in the Middle East on Wednesday (October 2, 2024) afternoon. The French Presidency said it would also organise soon a conference in support of Lebanon and had asked the Foreign Minister to travel to the region to work on diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions.

“Attentive to the security and protection of our compatriots in Lebanon and the Middle East, the head of state requested that all necessary measures be taken to assist them and, if necessary, come to their aid,” the Presidency added. France on Monday (September 30, 2024) deployed a helicopter carrier to the region to position itself in case an evacuation order was given.

Israel said it killed Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in a powerful airstrike in Beirut, prompting Iran to call for the United Nations Security Council to meet over Israeli military’s actions in Lebanon and across the Middle East region.

New York:

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday backed India’s bid for a permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), days after US President Joe Biden and France’s Emmanuel Macron made a similar pitch. Addressing the general debate of the United Nations General Assembly’s seventy-ninth session in New York, Mr Starmer said the UNSC has to change to become a “more representative body”.

At present, the UNSC comprises five permanent members and 10 non-permanent member countries which are elected for a two-year term by the General Assembly of the United Nations. The five permanent members are Russia, the UK, China, France, and the United States, which have the power to veto any substantive resolution.

“We want to see permanent African representation on the Council, Brazil, India, Japan, and Germany as permanent members, and more seats for elected members as well,” Mr Starmer said.

ALSO READ | “Have To Keep Putting Pressure”: S Jaishankar On India’s Permanent UN Seat

Earlier on Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron had also voiced strong support for India’s inclusion as a permanent member of the UNSC.

“As long as we have a Security Council that is blocked, I would say, reciprocally according to the interests of each party, we will have difficulty moving forward. So let’s just make these United Nations more effective, first by perhaps making them more representative. That is why France, and I repeat here, is in favor of the Security Council being expanded,” he told the UN General Assembly.

“Germany, Japan, India, and Brazil should be permanent members, as well as two countries that Africa will decide to represent it,” he added.

French President @EmmanuelMacron reiterates France’s call for a reform of the UN Security Council that would include a permanent seat for India during his address at #UNGA79 :@franceonu @francediplo_EN @MEAIndia pic.twitter.com/0cIPxbWM0i

— French Embassy in India (@FranceinIndia) September 26, 2024

Last week, Joe Biden had also vouched for India as a permanent member of the UNSC.

During his talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his home in Wilmington, Delaware on Saturday, Mr Biden said that the US supports initiatives to reform global institutions to reflect India’s important voice, including permanent membership for New Delhi in a reformed UN Security Council.

I thank President Biden for hosting me at his residence in Greenville, Delaware. Our talks were extremely fruitful. We had the opportunity to discuss regional and global issues during the meeting. @JoeBiden pic.twitter.com/WzWW3fudTn

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 21, 2024

India has argued for decades that it deserves to be a member of the UNSC. New Delhi has said that the 15-nation council founded in 1945 is not fit for purpose in the 21st Century and does not reflect contemporary geo-political realities.

India last sat at the UN high table as a non-permanent member in 2021-22.

ALSO READ | 4 Key Obstacles To India Joining UN Security Council With Veto Power

At the ‘Summit of the Future’ on Sunday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had also warned that the 15-nation UNSC, which he described as “outdated” and whose authority is eroding, will eventually lose all credibility unless its composition and working methods are reformed.

New York:

Affirming support for the reformation of the United Nations Security Council to better represent the developing world, US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken said that the United States has long endorsed permanent seats in the council for India, Japan and Germany.

Speaking at the ‘Summit of the Future’ at the 79th United Nations General Assembly in New York on Monday (local time), Mr Blinken put forward the US’ idea of two permanent seats for Africa, one rotating seat for Small Island Developing States, and permanent representation for Latin America and the Caribbean.

“Reforming the UN Security Council to better represent the developing world and, more broadly, the world as it is today. The United States believes that this should include two permanent seats for Africa, one rotating seat for Small Island Developing States, and permanent representation for Latin America and the Caribbean. In addition to the permanent seats for countries, we’ve long endorsed Germany, Japan, and India,” he said.

“The United States supports starting negotiations on Council reforms immediately,” he added.

Mr Blinken conveyed the US’s commitment to adapting the UN system to reflect the current geopolitical situation driving the world, which didn’t exist back in 1945. However, he resolutely opposed to any revision of any reformers, which could alter the core principle of the UN Charter.

“The United States is committed to adapting the UN system to reflect this world of today and tomorrow–not the one that existed in 1945 but we are and we will remain resolutely opposed to revisionism. We will not accept efforts to tear down, dilute, or fundamentally alter the core principle of the UN Charter,” Mr Blinken further said.

Notably, India has long sought a permanent seat in the Security Council to better represent the interests of the developing world. The nation’s quest has gained momentum with support from the international community.

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is composed of 15 member states, including five permanent members with veto power and ten non-permanent members elected for two-year terms.

The five permanent members of the UNSC include China, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and the United States. The non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council are elected for 2-year terms by the UNGA.

Earlier on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his address at the ‘Summit of the Future’ at the UN General Assembly in New York, also called for reforms in the global institutions and termed reforms the “key to relevance.”

He also called the African Union’s inclusion as a permanent member in the G20 an “important step” in this direction.

PM Narendra Modi also expressed India’s willingness to share its experiences of success with the Global South. He said that the success of humanity lies in “collective strength” and not the battlefield.

“When we discuss the global future, we must accord the highest priority to a human-centric approach. While prioritising sustainable development, we must also ensure human welfare, food, and health security. By lifting 250 million people out of poverty in India, we have demonstrated that sustainable development can be successful. We are ready to share our experiences of our success with the Global South. The success of humanity lies in our collective strength, not on the battlefield,” PM Modi said.

Later during the special briefing on the Prime Minister’s US visit, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri also appreciated that the UN Summit document has a detailed paragraph on UN Security Council reforms, which is a “very good beginning.”

“I would only point you in the direction of the fact that for the first time, a UN Summit document has a detailed paragraph on UN Security Council reform, so it may not have every single detail in every area that we would imagine or we would like there to be but I think it’s a good beginning and we look forward eventually to the beginning of text-based negotiations in a fixed time frame going forward. But this should be seen as the first step towards that objective and the fact that till now we haven’t had discussions based on text but an agreement at this level in the pact that keeps open the possibilities of a reform of the UN system is a gain from any perspective,” he stated.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Pratik Mathur. File
| Photo Credit: ANI

India has slammed Pakistan for its “baseless and deceitful narratives” as Islamabad’s envoy made references to Kashmir in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA.)

“Earlier in the day, one delegation misused this forum to spread baseless and deceitful narratives, which is not a surprise,” Minister in India’s Permanent Mission to the UN Pratik Mathur said on June 25.

“I will not dignify these remarks with any response, just to save the valuable time of this august body,” he said. Mr. Mathur was delivering India’s statement at the UN General Assembly debate on the Annual Report of the United Nations Security Council.

His retort came after Pakistan’s UN envoy Munir Akram made references to Kashmir in his remarks from the General Assembly podium during the debate.

Pakistan regularly raises the issue of Jammu and Kashmir at various UN platforms, irrespective of the subject matter being discussed or the theme of the forum and fails to get any support or traction.

India has previously rejected Pakistan’s attempts to raise the Kashmir issue at international forums, asserting that the “Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the Union Territory of Ladakh have been, are and will always remain integral and inalienable parts of India.”

United Nations Security Council unanimously adopts resolution renewing the mandate of UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) for a final 19-month period until 31 December 2025; all 15 members voted in favour.
| Photo Credit: Photo Credit: X/@UN_News_Centre

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) voted unanimously on May 31 to end the United Nations (UN) political mission in Iraq established in 2003 following the United States-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein to coordinate post-conflict humanitarian and reconstruction efforts, and to help restore a representative government in the country.

The Iraqi government asked the council in a May 8 letter to wrap up the mission by the end of 2025 and that’s what the resolution does: It extends the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq, known as UNAMI, for a final 19 months until December 31, 2025 when all its work will cease.

The U.S.-sponsored resolution asks Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to prepare “a transition and liquidation plan” in consultation with the Iraqi government by December 31, 2024, so UNAMI can start transferring its tasks and withdrawing staff and assets.

The council said it supports Iraq’s continuing stabilisation efforts, including its ongoing fight against the Islamic State group and al-Qaida extremists and their affiliates.

In 2014, the Islamic State group declared a caliphate in large parts of Iraq and Syria and attracted tens of thousands of supporters from around the world. The extremists were defeated by a U.S.-led military coalition in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria in 2019, but its sleeper cells remain in both countries.

Iraq is also seeking to wind down the military coalition formed to fight the IS. The roughly 2,500 U.S. troops are scattered around the country, largely in military installations in Baghdad and in the north. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has contended that the Iraqi security forces are capable of dealing with the remaining IS cells in the country and the coalition’s presence is no longer needed.

Mr. Al-Sudani’s office expressed its “welcome and appreciation” for the Security Council vote and said in a statement that the council decision “came as a result of the tangible progress that Iraq is witnessing at various levels”.

UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said secretary-general Guterres and UNAMI are “fully committed” to fulfilling the tasks in the resolution and “the United Nations remains strongly committed to supporting Iraq in its aspirations for a peaceful and secure future”.

Mr. Guterres notes “significant achievements” in Iraq since UNAMI was established in August 2003, Mr. Dujarric said, pointing to the mission’s assistance in advancing an inclusive political dialogue in the country, holding elections, promoting accountability, protecting human rights and coordinating the return and reintegration of people who are displaced within the country.

The resolution adopted on May 31 to close the UNAMI mission expresses support for Iraq’s reform efforts aimed at fighting corruption, respecting and protecting human rights, delivering essential services to its people, creating jobs and diversifying the economy.

It asks the secretary-general to streamline UNAMI’s tasks ahead of the mission’s closure to focus on providing advice, support and technical assistance to the government to strengthen preparations for free elections, including for the federal Parliament and for the Parliament in the Kurdistan region.

It also authorises UNAMI to facilitate progress toward finally resolving outstanding issues between Iraq and Kuwait, stemming from Saddam Hussein’s invasion of its smaller neighbour in August 1990.

In addition, the resolution says UNAMI should help with the return of internally displaced Iraqis and those in Syria, with providing health care and other services and with economic development. And it also authorises the mission to “promote accountability and the protection of human rights, and judicial and legal reform”.

U.S. Deputy Ambassador Robert Wood welcomed the resolution’s unanimous adoption and plans for an orderly wind-down of UNAMI.

“We all recognise that Iraq has changed dramatically in recent years and UNAMI’s mission needed to be realigned as part of our commitment to fostering a secure, stable and sovereign Iraq,” he told the council.

Russia’s Deputy UN Ambassador Anna Evstigneeva stressed that what was important for Moscow in voting for the resolution was that the United States took into account the priorities Iraq wanted UNAMI to focus on in its final months.

“We are convinced that in the 20 years since its establishment UNAMI has fully realised its potential to assist in the restoration of Iraqi statehood and that the people of Iraq are now ready to assume full responsibility for the country’s political future,” she said. “We express our firm support for Iraq sovereignty and oppose any interference in the country’s internal affairs. That is an imperative.”

This photo provided by the North Korean government, shows what it says a test fire of tactical ballistic missile at an undisclosed place in North Korea on May 17, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

The United States and allies South Korea and Japan clashed with China and Russia on May 31 over North Korea’s latest satellite and ballistic missile launches and threats to use nuclear weapons that have escalated tensions in northeast Asia.

The scene was an emergency open meeting of the U.N. Security Council called after North Korea’s failed launch of a military reconnaissance satellite on May 27 and other launches using ballistic missile technology in violation of U.N. sanctions.

Since the beginning of 2022, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has launched over 100 missiles using this banned technology as it has advanced its nuclear weapons program. In response, the U.S. and its allies have carried out an increasing number of military exercises.

U.N. Assistant Secretary-General Khaled Khiari briefed the council meeting saying sovereign countries have the right to benefit from peaceful space activities – but the DPRK is expressly prohibited from conducting launches using ballistic missile technology and its continuing violations undermine global nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation treaties.

“We remain deeply concerned about growing tensions on the Korean Peninsula,” Mr. Khiari said. “There is a need for practical measures to reduce tensions, reverse the dangerous dynamic, and create space to explore diplomatic avenues.”

The right to self-defence

North Korea’s U.N. Ambassador Kim Song insisted that its satellite launches – and it had a successful one last November – are “the legitimate and universal right of a sovereign state” under international law and the Outer Space Treaty. He stressed that reconnaissance satellites are not only needed to strengthen its self-defence capabilities but to defend its sovereignty.

Mr. Kim told the Security Council that the “massive deployment of strategic assets and aggressive war exercises” by the United States on the Korean Peninsula and in the region have broken all records and destroyed the military balance.

This has turned the Korean Peninsula “into the most fragile zone in the world, fraught with the danger of outbreak of war,” he said, claiming that joint military exercises since the beginning of the year are “a U.S.-led nuclear war rehearsal.”

The DPRK ambassador said the Security Council shouldn’t waste time debating the legitimate rights of a sovereign state but should direct its attention to putting an immediate end to the killing of civilians in Gaza, “which continues unabated under U.S. patronage.”

South Korea’s U.N. Ambassador Joonkook Hwang said it should be his country – not the DPRK – that should claim the right to self-defence. He said the DPRK’s nuclear policy and its rhetoric “are getting increasing aggressive and hostile,” and Pyongyang no longer views its nuclear arsenal as just a deterrent against the United States, “but instead as a means to attack my country.”

He quoted DPRK leader Kim Jong Un’s sister, Kim Yo-jong, saying two weeks ago that the only purpose of their tactical nuclear weapons “is to teach a lesson to Seoul.”

Escalating confrontation

U.S. Deputy Ambassador Robert Wood urged the Security Council to condemn the DPRK’s launches and hold it accountable for violating U.N. sanctions. “But two council members, China and Russia, continuously block the Security Council from speaking against the DPRK’s behavior with one voice and makes us all less safe,” he said.

Mr. Wood also accused the DPRK of unlawfully transferring dozens of ballistic missiles and over 11,000 containers of munitions to Russia to aid its war against Ukraine, “prolonging the suffering of the Ukrainian people.” He rejected as “groundless” and disingenuous” claims by the DPRK and its supporters on the council that its missile launches are a response to U.S.-led military exercises.

Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Anna Evstigneeva countered that “one of the key catalysts for the growing tensions in the region has been and remains the build-up of military activity by the U.S. and its allies.”

U.S.-led military drills against the DPRK and numerous other hostile acts with a threatening military component “are provoking countermeasures from North Korea, which is forced to take action to strengthen its national defense capacity,” she said.

Ms. Evstigneeva claimed, “the unstable situation around the Korean Peninsula is of benefit to Washington, which continues to confidently and deliberately pursue the path of confrontation instead of dialogue.” She also dismissed claims that Russia is engaging in illegal military and technical cooperation with the DPRK as “absolutely unfounded.”

China’s U.N. ambassador, Fu Cong, called the situation on the Korean Peninsula “highly tense, with antagonism and confrontation escalating,” and called on all parties to exercise restraint and avoid any actions or rhetoric that might increase tension. He warned that a planned large-scale joint military exercise on the peninsula in August “practicing a scenario involving a nuclear war” will only increase tensions.

Mr. Wood retorted that “the United States is in no way a threat to the DPRK,” stressing that the U.S. offer to reach out “an open hand” and hold talks with the DPRK without preconditions over the past few years “has been met with a clenched fist.”

In the Security Council vote on April 18, the Palestinians got much more support for full U.N. membership. The vote was 12 in favor, the United Kingdom and Switzerland abstaining. 
| Photo Credit: AP

The U.N. General Assembly (UNGA) is expected to vote on May 10 on a resolution that would grant new “rights and privileges” to Palestine and call on the Security Council to favourably reconsider its request to become the 194th member of the United Nations.

The United States vetoed a widely backed council resolution on April 18 that would have paved the way for full United Nations membership for Palestine, a goal the Palestinians have long sought and Israel has worked to prevent, and U.S. Deputy Ambassador Robert Wood made clear on Thursday that Joe Biden administration is opposed to the Assembly resolution.

Under the U.N. Charter, prospective members of the United Nations must be “peace-loving,” and the Security Council must recommend their admission to the General Assembly for final approval. Palestine became a U.N. non-member observer state in 2012.

“We’ve been very clear from the beginning there is a process for obtaining full membership in the United Nations, and this effort by some of the Arab countries and the Palestinians is to try to go around that,” Mr. Wood said on Thursday. “We have said from the beginning the best way to ensure Palestinian full membership in the U.N. is to do that through negotiations with Israel. That remains our position.”

But unlike the Security Council, there are no vetoes in the 193-member General Assembly and the resolution is expected to be approved by a large majority, according to three Western diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity because negotiations were private.

The draft resolution “determines” that a state of Palestine is qualified for membership – dropping the original language that in the General Assembly’s judgment it is “a peace-loving state.” It therefore recommends that the Security Council reconsider its request “favourably.”

The renewed push for full Palestinian membership in the U.N. comes as the war in Gaza has put the more than 75-year-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict at center stage. At numerous council and assembly meetings, the humanitarian crisis facing the Palestinians in Gaza and the killing of more than 34,000 people in the territory, according to Gaza health officials, have generated outrage from many countries.

“The original draft of the assembly resolution was changed significantly to address concerns not only by the U.S. but also by Russia and China,” the diplomats said.

The first draft would have conferred on Palestine “the rights and privileges necessary to ensure its full and effective participation” in the assembly’s sessions and U.N. conferences “on equal footing with member states.” It also made no reference to whether Palestine could vote in the General Assembly.

According to the diplomats, Russia and China which are strong supporters of Palestine’s U.N. membership were concerned that granting the list of rights and privileges detailed in an annex to the resolution could set a precedent for other would-be U.N. members — with Russia concerned about Kosovo and China about Taiwan.

Under longstanding legislation by the U.S. Congress, the United States is required to cut off funding to U.N. agencies that give full membership to a Palestinian state – which could mean a cutoff in dues and voluntary contributions to the U.N. from its largest contributor.

The final draft drops the language that would put Palestine “on equal footing with member states.” And to address Chinese and Russian concerns, it would decide “on an exceptional basis and without setting a precedent” to adopt the rights and privileges in the annex.

The draft also adds a provision in the annex on the issue of voting, stating categorically: “The state of Palestine, in its capacity as an observer state, does not have the right to vote in the General Assembly or to put forward its candidature to United Nations organs.”

The final list of rights and privileges in the draft annex includes giving Palestine the right to speak on all issues not just those related to the Palestinians and Middle East, the right to propose agenda items and reply in debates and the right to be elected as officers in the assembly’s main committees. It would give the Palestinians the right to participate in U.N. and international conferences convened by the United Nations — but it drops their “right to vote” which was in the original draft.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas first delivered the Palestinian Authority’s application for U.N. membership in 2011. It failed because the Palestinians didn’t get the required minimum support of nine of the Security Council’s 15 members.

They went to the General Assembly and succeeded by more than a two-thirds majority in having their status raised from a U.N. observer to a non-member observer state. That opened the door for the Palestinian territories to join U.N. and other international organizations, including the International Criminal Court.

In the Security Council vote on April 18, the Palestinians got much more support for full U.N. membership. The vote was 12 in favor, the United Kingdom and Switzerland abstaining, and the United States voting no and vetoing the resolution.

India has voiced hope that Palestine’s bid to become a full member of the United Nations, which was blocked by the U.S. last month, will be reconsidered and its endeavour to become a member of the world organisation will get endorsed.

The U.S. vetoed a resolution in the UN Security Council on a Palestinian bid to be granted full membership of the United Nations last month. The 15-nation Council had voted on a draft resolution that would have recommended to the 193-member UN General Assembly “that the State of Palestine be admitted to membership in the United Nations.”

The resolution got 12 votes in its favour, with Switzerland and the UK abstaining and the U.S. casting its veto. To be adopted, the draft resolution required at least nine Council members voting in its favour, with no vetoes by any of its five permanent members – China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States.

“While we have noted that Palestine’s application for membership at the United Nations was not approved by the Security Council because of the aforesaid veto, I would like to state here at the very outset that in keeping with India’s long-standing position, we hope that this would be reconsidered in due course and that Palestine’s endeavour to become a member of the United Nations will get endorsed,” India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj said here.

India was the first non-Arab State to recognise the Palestine Liberation Organization as the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people in 1974. India was also one of the first countries to recognise the State of Palestine in 1988 and in 1996, Delhi opened its Representative Office to the Palestine Authority in Gaza, which later was shifted to Ramallah in 2003.

Currently, Palestine is a “non-member observer state” at the UN, a status granted to it by the General Assembly in 2012. This status allows Palestine to participate in proceedings of the world body but it cannot vote on resolutions. The only other non-member Observer State at the UN is the Holy See, representing the Vatican.

Addressing a General Assembly meeting on Wednesday, Ms. Kamboj underlined that India’s leadership has repeatedly emphasised that only a two-state solution achieved through direct and meaningful negotiations between Israel and Palestine on final status issues will deliver an enduring peace.

“India is committed to supporting a two-state solution where the Palestinian people are able to live freely in an independent country within secure borders with due regard to the security needs of Israel,” she said.

Ms. Kamboj stressed that to arrive at a lasting solution, India would urge all parties to foster conditions conducive to resuming direct peace negotiations at an early date.

On April 2, Palestine sent a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres requesting that its application for full U.N. membership be considered again. For a State to be granted full UN membership, its application must be approved both by the Security Council and the General Assembly, where a two-thirds majority of the members present and voting is required for the State to be admitted as a full member.

Ms. Kamboj noted that the latest conflict in Gaza has been ongoing for over six months and the humanitarian crisis that it has triggered has been increasing.

“There is also the potential for growing instability in the region and beyond,” she added.

Underlining India’s position on the conflict, Ms. Kamboj said the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has led to a large-scale loss of civilian lives, especially women and children, and a humanitarian crisis, which is simply unacceptable. India has strongly condemned the deaths of civilians in the conflict.

Ms. Kamboj said the terror attacks in Israel on October 7 were shocking and deserve “unequivocal condemnation.

“There can be no justification for terrorism and hostage-taking. India has a long-standing and uncompromising position against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. And we demand the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages,” Ms. Kamboj said.

India stressed that it is imperative that humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza be scaled up immediately in order to avert a further deterioration in the situation. “We urge all parties to come together in this endeavour,” Ms. Kamboj said, adding that India has provided humanitarian aid to the people of Palestine and that it will continue to do so.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), citing Gaza’s Ministry of Health data, said that from October 7, 2023, till now, at least 34,568 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and 77,765 Palestinians injured.

OCHA said that between the afternoons of April 28 and May 1, two Israeli soldiers were reported killed in Gaza. According to the Israeli military, 262 soldiers have been killed and 1,602 soldiers have been injured in Gaza since the beginning of the ground operation. In addition, over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals, including 33 children, have been killed in Israel, the vast majority on October 7, when Hamas attacked Israel.

As of May 1, Israeli authorities estimate that 133 Israelis and foreign nationals remain captive in Gaza, including fatalities whose bodies are withheld, it said.