India Joins Countries Condemning Israel’s Attacks On UN Peacekeepers In Lebanon

In a rare move against Israel, India decided to back a joint statement by the 34 troop-contributing nations to the United Nations to condemn Israel’s attacks on peace keepers on Lebanon. New Delhi decided to come on board as Indian soldiers are part of the UN contingent based on the border between Israel and Lebanon.

"As a major troop contributing country, India aligns itself fully with the joint statement issued by the 34 UNIFIL troop contributing countries. Safety and security of peacekeepers are of paramount importance and must be ensured in accordance with extant UNSC Resolutions,” India’s Permanent Mission to the UN in New York said on social media platform X. 

The joint statement released by Poland said the nations "strongly condemn" recent attacks on the UNIFIL peacekeepers; however, Israel is not named by the 34 countries. The statement said that such actions "must stop immediately and should be adequately investigated.’’ More countries are expected to back the move, initiated by Poland as the bureaucratic process of getting approval from headquarters often takes time.  

As a close friend of Israel, India has been hesitant to condemn Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government despite the fact that the IDF (Israeli Defence Forces) have broken all rules of war mandated by the Geneva Convention. Unlike most countries of the Global South, India has been extremely circumspect, caught in a bind between condemning a close friend and its claim to represent the developing world.

In September, India abstained from a UN General Assembly resolution supported by 124 countries calling for Israel to comply with international law and cease its occupation of Palestinian territory within 12 months. Other countries that abstained were Australia, UK, Ukraine, Canada, Germany, Italy and Nepal. 

Two members of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFL) were injured this weekend as they came under fire from the IDF Merkava tank unit that  aimed their guns at an UN observation tower at its headquarters in Naqoura. Two other UN positions also came under attack by the Israeli military as it relentless ground operations in Lebanon to break the back of the remaining Hezbollah fighters continue.

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) were deployed along the 120km border (called the Blue Line) between Lebanon and Israel to keep the peace since 2006. Hamas and Israeli forces fought a 35 day war that year.  The UNIFIL force is made up of contingents from several countries mostly from the developing world but also a smattering of other troops including Italians. India has roughly around 900 soldiers deployed with the UN mission in Lebanon. 

Earlier on October 10, when news of the attack came in, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) released a soft statement India’s flagging concern.

"We are concerned at the deteriorating security situation along the Blue Line. We continue to monitor the situation closely. Inviolability of UN premises must be respected by all, and appropriate measures taken to ensure the safety of UN peacekeepers and the sanctity of their mandate,’’ Israel was not mentioned in the readout.