India Does Not Join 85 States in Condemning Israel's Expansion in West Bank; Galgotias University Gets Booted Out from AI Summit for Passing Chinese Robodog as its Own; Come On, Be a Sport
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February 18, 2026
Sidharth Bhatia
Once a key drafter of the 1967 United Nations Security Council Resolution – the landmark resolution that called for Israel to withdraw from the occupied Palestinian Territories and reaffirmed the invalidity of annexation by force – India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not join 85 United Nations member states in condemning Israel’s de-facto expansion in the occupied West Bank, underscoring an unmistakable tilt toward open backing of Israel ahead of Modi’s visit next week. Israel has been increasing construction in the occupied West Bank and clearing the last semblances of bureaucratic hurdles to ease total control over the area in recent months, but a recent decision by the Benjamin Netanyahu government on Sunday will kickstart a land regulation process that will allow it to takeover huge tracts of land in the region.
The joint statement, signed by 85 United Nations member states – including Bangladesh, Brazil, China, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, Italy, Malaysia, the Maldives and the Republic of Korea – strongly condemns what it describes as unilateral Israeli measures to expand its unlawful presence in the West Bank. “Such decisions are contrary to Israel’s obligations under international law and must be immediately reversed,” the statement says, underlining the signatories’ strong opposition to any form of annexation.
An Associated Press report notes how it paves the way for the resumption of “settlement of land title” processes, which had been frozen in the West Bank since the Mideast War in 1967. When Israel begins the land registration process for a certain area, anyone with a claim to the land must submit documents proving ownership.
India’s decision to stay away from the joint condemnation signals more than a policy choice, says Nirupama Rao, Former Foreign Secretary of India, reflecting a test of the country’s moral compass on the global stage. “Strategic autonomy was meant to expand India’s choices, not shrink its moral vocabulary. If autonomy turns into avoidance of normative positions altogether, it starts looking less like independence and more like hedging. That distinction matters for a country that projects itself as a civilisational voice, not just a transactional actor.”
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