Will India deploy peacekeeping troops in Gaza, Ukraine? MEA official says ‘not outside UN mandate’

Amid ongoing efforts to end wars in Ukraine and Gaza, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has clarified that India will only deploy any peacekeepers under the mandate of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). And the MEA said that it is highly unlikely that the UNSC would come up with such a mandate.

The statement has come two days after US President Donald Trump released a 20-point plan for Gaza that sought to end the war with the release of hostages and gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces. The plan also seeks to disarm Hamas, oust the group as Gaza’s ruler, and set up an interim administration to run the strip until it could be handed over to reformed Palestinian Authority (PA).

MEA’s Vishwesh Negi, who is currently on deputation to the Ministry of Defence, said India has a policy of deploying peacekeeper only under UNSC’s mandate.

“Indian peacekeepers will be deployed under UN mandate mission with clearance of UNSC under chapters. It is highly unlikely given the composition of UNSC,” said Negi in an apparent reference to the US and Russian veto at the UNSC.

As Israel’s foremost supporter, the United States is bound to reject any UN-led intervention in Gaza as Israel has sought to shun UN. Similarly, in Ukraine, Russia is bound to veto any UN peacekeeping proposal as it has long opposed any foreign military presence in Ukraine.

India’s longstanding policy of peacekeeping under UNSC mandate

This is not the first time that India has pointed to the commitment to UNSC’s mandates regarding peacekeepers’ deployment.

In 2003, then-US President George W Bush had urged then-Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to deploy a full division of Indian Army —around 17,000 soldiers— to Iraq’s Kurdish areas after the US-led invasion of Iraq. India stated at the time that there would not be any deployment without a UNSC mandate.

In a statement on July 14, 2003, the Vajpayee government said that “were there to be an explicit UN mandate for the purpose, the government of India could consider the deployment of our troops in Iraq”, according to PTI.

Months later, on September 15, 2003, Rediff News reported Indian officials as saying that India will not send troops to Iraq “even if the UN Security Council passes a resolution” calling for a multinational force for Iraq. The US-led invasion of Iraq was very unpopular in India and that was believed to be the reason behind such an Indian position.