Sir — The UN General Assembly has voted by a large majority to reject the American unilateral recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The vote came after US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley issued a threat to those that failed to vote in favour of America, “disrespecting” it as Haley put it, would suffer the consequences. It is unfortunate that the language of the street gang, the thug, has come to the genteel corridors of the UN.
That said, the Government of India must be commended for voting in favour of the resolution moved in the UNGA on Jerusalem. It was indeed something of a surprise when India voted along traditional lines in support of Palestine. Perhaps it did so following the lobbying by Arab Ambassadors, or maybe, it was an outcome of a careful calculation of national interests trumping ideology. Indian interests in the Persian Gulf region are paramount. That is from where we get 70 per cent of our oil, and where seven million of our citizens labour and send back remittances of around $35 billion per annum, three times more than the rich NRIs send from the US.
New Delhi has done well to maintain its traditional position on the issue. As the global hegemon, the US can get away with a lot, not so a poor South Asian country, no matter how big.