(Press Trust of India) In a rare move, India voted in favor of a decision introduced by Israel in the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) that objected to granting consultative status to a Palestinian non-governmental organization that Israel said did not disclose its ties with Hamas. The Council decided to return the NGO's application in a 28 to 15 vote with 5 abstentions. Countries voting in favor of the decision included Brazil, Canada, Colombia, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and the United States. Israel's Permanent Mission to the UN said the NGO, registered in Lebanon under the name "Witness," ostensibly deals with the rights of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. However in recent months, Israel's security services have revealed that "Witness belongs to the Hamas movement and acts on its behalf against Israel as part of a network of institutions and organizations the terrorist organization operates outside the Gaza Strip." "Witness" has been declared a terrorist organization in Israel. The Deputy Chief of Mission at Israel's Embassy in New Delhi tweeted: "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."
2019-06-14 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive