AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for choosing to visit Israel and embrace “war criminal” Benjamin Netanyahu, who has an arrest warrant against him. The visit, Owaisi said, demonstrates India’s longstanding support for the Palestinian people
“The genocide in Gaza will be remembered forever. The fact that the Prime Minister of India chose to visit Israel at this time and embrace a war criminal with a warrant against him speaks volumes about India’s longstanding support for the Palestinian people,” the Hyderabad MP said in a post on X.
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Prime minister Narendra Modi is in Israel today, February 25, on a two-day state visit. This is PM Modi’s first visit to Israel as Prime Minister since 2017, before his counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu reciprocated his visit to India the following year.
“Maybe the US will attack Iran after the Prime Minister’s visit is over. Murdabad Zionism,” Owaisi added.
The AIMIM leader shared his past speeches at political rallies and Parliament in which he urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Gaza for 15 minutes during his visit.
Prime Minister Modi’s visit at the invitation of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is his second visit to Israel after his trip in 2017, during which he became the first Indian Prime Minister to visit the country.
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Among other things, Modi met Netanyahu for a private dinner and spoke Israel’s parliament, the Knesseton Wednesday, the first day of his second trip to Israel as prime minister.
The Prime Minister will also invite Isaac Herzog, the President of Israel.
Owaisi criticized Israel, accusing it of committing “genocide” in Gaza. In September last year, a UN commission of inquiry said Israel had committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
A new report says there are reasonable grounds to conclude that four out of five acts of genocide defined by international law have been carried out since the beginning of the last phase of the war with Hamas in 2023: killing members of the group, causing them serious physical and mental harm, deliberately creating conditions aimed at destroying the group, and preventing births.
Conflict in Gaza
While the large-scale fighting between Israel and Hamas stopped under the so-calledA comprehensive plan to end the conflict in Gaza”, as agreed in October last year, there has not yet been a final political settlement.
What is the attitude of Indians towards Palestine?
India’s position on Palestine and Gaza is officially based on a two-state solution, balancing support for Palestinian statehood with strong strategic ties to Israel.
India supports the establishment of a sovereign, independent and viable country state of palestineliving side by side with Israel in peace and security within recognized borders.
While India condemned terrorism and Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, it expressed concern over the civilian casualties in Gaza.
India formally recognized Palestinian statehood back on November 18, 1988.
Before 2014, any official visit from India to Israel would also include a visit to Palestine. However, on his first visit to Israel in 2017, Prime Minister Modi skipped a stop in Palestine, which had been part of previous official visits.
Even this time PM Modi is not traveling to Palestine.
Priyanka Vadra condemns the visit
Prime Minister Modi’s trip to Israel also faced criticism from other opposition leaders.
Congress president Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address the Gaza conflict during his two-day visit to Israel when he addresses the Knesset of Israel. Vadra called for justice for the innocent victims and stressed India’s historic commitment to truth and peace on the global stage.
“I hope so Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentions the genocide of thousands of innocent men, women and children in Gaza while addressing the Knesset on his upcoming trip to Israel and demands justice for them,” Gandhi, the Wayanad MP wrote on X ahead of PM Modi’s two-day state visit to Israel that began on Wednesday.
Key things
- Modi’s visit to Israel has reignited debates over India’s stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
- Accusations of genocide against Israel point to the complexity of international relations.
- Political leaders are using Modi’s visit to support and criticize the government’s policy on Palestine.
