TEL AVIV – In a departure from policy, India last week voted in favor of Israel at the United Nations against granting observer status to a Palestinian human rights organization accused of having terror ties.
The motion at the U.N. Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) saw the US, France, Germany, India, Japan, UK, South Korea and Canada voting in support of Israel, while China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and some others voted in favor of the Shahed NGO.
Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has accused the Lebanon-based Shahed of being a “terrorist organisation” operating as “an arm of the Hamas terror organisation.”
Maya Kadosh, deputy chief of mission at the Israel embassy in India, praised the move.
“Thank you #India for standing with @IsraelinUN and rejecting the request of terrorist organization “Shahed” to obtain the status of an observer in #UN. Together we will continue to act against terrorist organizations that intend to harm,” tweeted Kadosh.
She told Indian newspaper ThePrint that Israel was “very happy” with New Delhi’s decision.
She added that Shahed, posing as a human rights organization, also has links with Hezbollah and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.