Modi’s personal friendship with Netanyahu shouldn’t drive India’s foreign policy, says Sonia Gandhi

New Delhi: Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Thursday criticised the Modi government for its “profound silence” on the Israel-Palestine conflict, asserting that India must play a leadership role in addressing the situation. She said the government’s approach seems guided more by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s personal friendship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu than by India’s constitutional values or strategic interests.

“This style of personalised diplomacy is untenable and should not guide India’s foreign policy,” Gandhi wrote in an article for The Hindu, warning that similar approaches in other countries, notably the United States, have failed in recent months.

This marks her third article in recent months condemning the government’s stance on the Israel-Palestine issue. Gandhi said India’s global standing requires courage and a commitment to historical principles, not actions driven by individual glory.

Highlighting international developments, she noted that countries including France, the UK, Canada, Portugal, and Australia have recognised Palestinian statehood, a move she called a step toward fulfilling the legitimate aspirations of Palestinians. India, she reminded, formally recognised Palestine in 1988 after supporting the Palestine Liberation Organisation.

Gandhi cited India’s history of principled foreign policy, from opposing apartheid in South Africa to supporting Algerian independence and intervening to prevent genocide in East Pakistan in 1971, which led to the creation of Bangladesh. On Israel-Palestine, India has traditionally maintained a delicate but principled stance, she said.

She condemned the humanitarian crisis in Gaza following hostilities since October 2023, noting that over 55,000 Palestinian civilians, including 17,000 children, have been killed. Gandhi described the destruction of residential, educational, and health infrastructure and a famine-like situation caused by Israeli restrictions on aid delivery.

Gandhi said the world’s slow response has implicitly legitimised Israeli actions, and praised recent international recognition of Palestine as a sovereign state, calling it a moral imperative. She stressed that “silence is not neutrality, it is complicity” and criticised India’s muted response as a departure from its historic role in promoting freedom and human dignity.

She also condemned India’s recent bilateral investment agreement with Israel and the hosting of Israel’s far-right finance minister, highlighting the ethical dimension of India’s engagement on the issue. Gandhi argued that India must treat the Palestine issue not just as foreign policy, but as a test of its ethical and civilisational values, noting the parallels between the historical struggles of Palestinians and India’s own colonial past.

“We owe Palestine historical empathy and the courage to act on it,” Gandhi concluded, calling for principled and decisive action to support the Palestinian people.