Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi slammed the Modi government for its 'profound silence' on the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict, calling it a 'complete abdication of humanity and morality.'
In a strongly worded opinion piece titled 'India’s muted voice, its detachment with Palestine' published in The Hindu, Gandhi urged India to reclaim its historical leadership on the issue, saying the country must rise above 'personalised diplomacy' and reassert its commitment to justice, human rights, and international law.
“The government’s response appears driven more by the personal friendship between Prime Minister Modi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu than by India’s constitutional values or strategic interests,” she wrote.
“This style of diplomacy is untenable and cannot dictate foreign policy.”
This marks the third time Gandhi has publicly criticised the Modi government's approach to the Gaza crisis since the October 2023 Hamas-Israel conflict erupted.
She noted that over 55,000 Palestinians, including 17,000 children, have been killed in the Israeli offensive, calling it “nothing less than genocidal.”
Sonia Gandhi accused Israel of deliberately obstructing aid to Gaza, forcing civilians into a famine-like situation,and targeting them even as they tried to access food and humanitarian relief.
“The world has been slow to respond, and this inaction has only legitimised Israeli excesses,” she said.
In contrast, several countries including France, the UK, Canada, Portugal, and Australia have recently recognised Palestinian statehood, a move Gandhi called a “long-overdue assertion of human rights and justice.”
India had once been at the forefront of supporting Palestine, recognising its statehood in 1988 and consistently advocating for negotiated peace through platforms like the UN and Non-Aligned Movement, she reminded.
“India’s voice, once unwavering in the cause of freedom and human dignity, has today become conspicuously muted,” Gandhi said in her piece.
She also slammed the Modi government for signing a bilateral investment agreement with Israel earlier this month and hosting Israel’s far-right Finance Minister, who has faced global backlash for inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.
Calling for a return to principled diplomacy, Gandhi urged the government not to view Palestine purely as a foreign policy issue but as a “test of India’s ethical and civilisational values.”
“We owe Palestine historical empathy, and the courage to act on it. Silence is not neutrality; it is complicity,” she said.
(With Inputs from PTI)