Cong slams Modi’s praise for Israeli PM as ‘shocking’, ‘morally atrocious’
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New Delhi: The Congress on Thursday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his “unqualified praise” of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling it “shameful and morally atrocious,” and condemned his silence on the future of an independent and sovereign Palestine.
The opposition’s criticism follows Modi’s statement welcoming the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s peace plan for West Asia, under which Israel and Hamas have agreed to pause fighting in Gaza. Modi described the agreement as a reflection of Netanyahu’s strong leadership.
Congress general secretary in-charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, said Modi failed to address the ongoing expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. “The prime minister has welcomed the new developments regarding Gaza and hailed President Trump. That eagerness to do so is not surprising. But what is shocking, shameful, and morally atrocious is Mr. Modi’s unqualified praise for the Israeli PM Mr. Netanyahu — who has unleashed a genocide in Gaza over the past twenty months,” Ramesh said.
He added that Modi had remained silent on the future of a sovereign Palestine, recognised by India in November 1988 and now by over 150 countries.
In a post on X, Modi said, “We welcome the agreement on the first phase of President Trump’s peace plan. This is also a reflection of the strong leadership of PM Netanyahu. We hope the release of hostages and enhanced humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza will bring respite to them and pave the way for lasting peace.”
The agreement between Israel and Hamas includes a temporary pause in hostilities and the release of some hostages and prisoners, marking the most significant development in the two-year-long conflict in Gaza.
Last week, Congress accused Modi of remaining completely silent on the “horrific atrocities” in Gaza, calling it “moral cowardice” and a “total betrayal” of India’s longstanding principles.
Earlier, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) expressed “profound distress” over the ongoing civilian deaths in Gaza, noting that India, once a beacon of moral conscience, has “now shamefully been reduced to a silent spectator” and that its foreign policy has acquired a “moral taint.”
With PTI inputs