This Article is From Jul 06, 2015

On Eve of Gaza Vote, PM Narendra Modi Got a Call From Israel Counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu. India Abstained

On Eve of Gaza Vote, PM Narendra Modi Got a Call From Israel Counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu. India Abstained

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu during their meeting in New York in September 2014.

New Delhi: On eve of a United Nations vote that condemned Israel's actions in Gaza, sources say Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a call from his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, on the issue. The Israeli PM is understood to have spoken to some other world leaders as well.

On Friday, India abstained from a vote at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva on a resolution that condemned Israel for the Gaza offensive last year, marking a change in New Delhi's position.

However, the Ministry of External Affairs has not commented on this phone call between the two leaders on the eve of the vote, saying they don't know.

On record, the government has denied any policy shift, saying india abstained because the resolution made a reference to taking Israel to the International Criminal Court, which India considers intrusive.

Forty-two counties voted for the resolution against Israel, while the US voted against it. India was one of five countries that abstained.

Ties between India and Israel have been warming up and PM Modi will be visiting Israel in a few months, the first ever by an Indian Prime Minister.
 
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