The Congress on Thursday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to the Israeli Parliament, calling it an “unabashed defence of his host” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The opposition party also invoked India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s views on the creation of Israel, citing his correspondence with physicist Albert Einstein.
Addressing the Knesset on Wednesday, Modi described the Gaza Peace Initiative as a pathway towards a “just and durable peace” in the region. He conveyed solidarity with Israel and emphasised India’s firm stance against terrorism.
“I also carry with me the deepest condolences of the people of India for every life lost and for every family whose world was shattered in the barbaric terrorist attack by Hamas on October 7 (2023),” Modi said.
“We feel your pain. We share your grief. India stands with Israel, firmly, with full conviction, in this moment, and beyond. No cause can justify the murder of civilians. Nothing can justify terrorism,” he added.
Reacting to the speech, Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh denounced the remarks.
“In his address to the Knesset yesterday - which was an unabashed defence of his host - Prime Minister Modi drew attention to the fact that India recognised the new state of Israel on the day he was born,” he said.
Ramesh then referred to Nehru’s response to Einstein on the question of Israel’s creation, noting that the two met at Einstein’s home in Princeton on November 5, 1949. He also recalled that Einstein declined an offer to become Israel’s President in November 1952 and later exchanged letters with Nehru on nuclear weapons shortly before his death in April 1955.
Quoting Nehru’s July 11, 1947 reply to Einstein, Ramesh said: “I confess that while I have a very great deal of sympathy for the Jews, I feel sympathy for the Arabs also in their predicament. In any event, the whole issue has become one of high emotion and deep passion on both sides.”
India’s first prime minister further wrote, “Unless men are big enough on either side, which is just and generally agreeable to the parties concerned, I see no effective solution for the present.”
“I have paid a good deal of attention to this problem of Palestine and have read books and pamphlets on the subject issued on either side; yet I cannot say that I know all about it, or that I am competent to pass a final opinion as to what should be done. I know that the Jews have done a wonderful piece of work in Palestine and have raised the standards of the people there, but one question troubles me. After all these remarkable achievements, why have they failed to gain the goodwill of the Arabs?”
“Why do they want to compel the Arabs to submit against their will to certain demands? The way of approach has been one which does not lead to a settlement, but rather to the continuation of the conflict. I have no doubt that the fault is not confined to one party but that all have erred.”
Nehru also observed that the principal difficulty stemmed from the continuation of British rule in Palestine.
(With inputs from PTI)