India’s abstention at UN on Hamas strikes the right balance

India last week, abstained from the United Nations vote on the US resolution condemning Hamas. In the preceding vote on whether the final resolution about the condemnation should be adopted by a simple or a two-third majority, India had supported the US by keeping the bar for voting lower.

The Modi government has struck a fine balance over this tricky issue. Considering that it has interests in Israel, Iran and the Muslim world, it has not gone either way- abstention was the best option. The NDA government can plausibly argue that it needs to balance its relationship with its main oil suppliers in the Middle East. After all the US, too, goes out on a limb for Saudi Arabia because the latter happens to be one of its principal oil suppliers- witness its covering for Saudi prince Mohammed bin Salman after the Khashoggi affair.

Read: India abstains from voting on UNGA resolution to condemn activities of Hamas