Modi government’s stance on Palestine ‘abdication of humanity, morality’: Sonia Gandhi

The president of the Indian National Congress has taken a swipe at the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for its “profound silence” on the issue of Palestine, particularly Israel’ genocidal war on Gaza, characterizing the response as 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 English-language daily newspaper The Hindu, Sonia Gandhi urged India to reclaim its historical leadership on the matter, saying the country must rise above “personalized 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.

Gandhi added, “This style of personalized diplomacy is never tenable and cannot be the guiding compass of India’s foreign policy. Attempts to do the same in other parts of the world, most notably in the United States, have come undone in the most painful and humiliating ways in recent months.”

This marks the third time Gandhi has publicly and vehemently criticized the Modi government’s stance on the Gaza crisis.

She noted that over 55,000 Palestinians, including 17,000 children, have been killed in the Israeli offensive, calling it “nothing less than genocidal.”

Gandhi denounced Israel for 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 legitimized Israeli excesses,” she said.

Israeli strikes on Gaza kill several civilians, including children sheltering at home

Israeli airstrikes have killed over a dozen Palestinians, including children, in the besieged Gaza Strip.

Gandhi pointed out that France has joined the United Kingdom, Canada, Portugal, and Australia in recognizing Palestinian statehood, and the move is “the first step in the fulfillment of the legitimate aspirations of the long-suffering Palestinian people.”

India had once been at the forefront of supporting Palestine, having formally recognized its statehood in 1988 and consistently advocating for negotiated peace through platforms like the UN and Non-Aligned Movement, she said.

“India’s voice, once unwavering in the cause of freedom and human dignity, has today become conspicuously muted,” she added.

Gandhi argued that India must not approach the issue of Palestine as merely a matter of foreign policy, but as a test of India’s ethical and civilizational heritage.

She also slammed the Modi government for signing a bilateral investment agreement with the occupying Israeli regime earlier this month and hosting Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who has encountered international criticism for provoking violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.

“We owe Palestine historical empathy, and the courage to act on it. Silence is not neutrality; it is complicity,” she said.

At least 65,419 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and another 167,160 individuals injured in the brutal Israeli onslaught on Gaza since October 7, 2023, according to the health ministry of Gaza.

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