‘Moral Cowardice’: Congress Slams PM Modi’s Israel Visit, Condemns US-Israel Strikes on Iran
Opposition says visit was ill-timed amid escalating conflict; calls for protection of Indians in West Asia.
India’s main opposition party, the Indian National Congress, on Saturday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his recent visit to Israel, terming it “shameful” and “ill-timed” amid escalating hostilities involving the United States, Israel and Iran.
Congress MP Jairam Ramesh said Tel Aviv and Washington had “begun their joint assault on Iran” two days after Modi’s visit, which he described as fully expected given the military build-up in recent months.
“Mr Modi nevertheless chose to go to Israel, where he displayed the highest moral cowardice. He declared that India stood with Israel and got himself an award for saying so,” Ramesh alleged.
The party also referred to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump, accusing them of launching a military offensive aimed at regime change in Iran. In a separate statement, Ramesh claimed that President Trump had maintained a “charade of diplomacy and negotiations” before initiating “major combat operations”.
The Congress called upon the Government of India to work towards bringing hostilities to an immediate end and to ensure the safety and security of millions of Indians living and working in the West Asia region.
The party’s Foreign Affairs Department said it was “deeply concerned” about the prime minister’s visit at a time of “heightened tensions” and warned that it created a “perception of political endorsement of military escalation”. It added that such alignment could compromise India’s long-standing calibrated position in the region and have grave strategic consequences.
“The Bharatiya Janata Party government needs to be mindful that India has civilisational, economic, energy, geopolitical and diasporic ties not only with Israel, but also with Iran, Palestine and the wider region,” the statement said.
It further emphasised that India must consistently uphold principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and peaceful resolution of disputes in its foreign policy.
The Israeli strikes reportedly came two days after Modi concluded his visit to Israel. Addressing the Knesset, he had said that India stood with Israel “firmly, with full conviction, in this moment and beyond”, adding, “We feel your pain” and “share your grief.”
Meanwhile, Iran has retaliated by targeting Israeli and US assets across multiple Middle East countries, including Qatar, the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Syria, Jordan and Iraq. Explosions were reported in Tehran and other locations, and several countries in the region have temporarily shut their airspace amid the escalating exchange of attacks.
Source: Maktoob Media
