Millions of Indians don’t support Israel's Gaza actions: Congress

New Delhi: The Congress has sharply criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for remaining silent after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed India was among the countries strongly backing Israel. Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh alleged that the Prime Minister's silence amounted to a betrayal of India's cultural values and humanitarian legacy.

The controversy erupted after Netanyahu, in an interview with Fox News, rejected US Vice President J.D. Vance's assertion that the United States was Israel's only strong ally. Netanyahu claimed Israel also enjoyed significant support from countries including India and said social media platforms reflected widespread backing from India's 1.4 billion people.

Rejecting the claim, Jairam Ramesh said Netanyahu's assertion was false. Referring to what he described as the "Modani" nexus—a term used by opposition leaders to suggest close ties between Prime Minister Modi and the Adani Group—Ramesh alleged that Israel had become deeply aligned with the "Modani empire" and that Modi remained unquestioningly supportive of the Israeli government. He argued, however, that millions of Indians opposed Israel's military actions in Gaza, the displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank, airstrikes on Iran and military operations in Lebanon, describing them as grave humanitarian violations.

Ramesh further said international endorsement from Netanyahu should not be regarded as an honour and accused the Prime Minister of maintaining silence despite the ongoing conflict. He also noted that even US President Donald Trump had expressed frustration with some of Netanyahu's recent positions.

The row follows remarks by US Vice President J.D. Vance urging Israel to respect ongoing US-Iran peace efforts and refrain from publicly criticising Washington. Congress has indicated it will continue to target the Prime Minister over his silence on the issue.