Modi govt's response on Palestine issue abdication of humanity: Sonia Gandhi

Asserting that India needs to demonstrate leadership on the issue of Palestine Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Thursday slammed the Modi governments stance saying its response has been characterised by a profound silence and an abdication of both humanity and morality reported news agency PTIShe said the governments actions appear to be driven primarily by the personal friendship between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu and rather than Indias constitutional values or its strategic interests reported PTIThis style of personalised diplomacy is never tenable and cannot be the guiding compass of Indias 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 Gandhi said in her article published in a leading dailyThis is the third article by Gandhi on the IsraelPalestine conflict published in a national daily in the recent past in which she has vehemently criticised the Modi governments stance on the issueIndias standing on the world stage cannot be wrapped up into the personal gloryseeking ways of one individual nor can it rest on its historical laurels It demands persistent courage and a sense of historical continuity she said in her article titled Indias muted voice its detachment with Palestine reported PTIGandhi pointed out that France has joined the United Kingdom Canada Portugal and Australia in recognising Palestinian statehood the first step in the fulfilment of the legitimate aspirations of the longsuffering Palestinian peopleMore than 150 of the 193 countries that are members of the United Nations have now done so she saidGandhi underlined that India had been a leader in this regard having formally recognised Palestinian statehood way back on November 18 1988 after years of support to the Palestine Liberation Organisation PLO reported PTIShe cited the examples of how India raised the issue of Apartheid South Africa even before Independence and during the Algerian struggle for independence 195462 India was one of the strongest voices for an independent AlgeriaIn 1971 India intervened firmly to prevent genocide in what was then East Pakistan midwifing the birth of modernday Bangladesh she pointed outOn the critical and sensitive issue of IsraelPalestine as well India has long maintained a delicate but principled position emphasising its commitment to peace and the protection of human rights the former Congress chief saidIndia needs to demonstrate leadership on the issue of Palestine which is now a battle for justice identity dignity and human rights Gandhi assertedIn the last two years since the outbreak of hostilities between Israel and Palestine in October 2023 India has all but relinquished its role she opinedThe brutal and inhumane Hamas attacks on Israeli civilians on October 7 2023 were followed by an Israeli response that has been nothing less than genocidal As I have previously raised more than 55000 Palestinian civilians have been killed including 17000 children she said reported PTIThe residential schooling and health infrastructure of the Gaza Strip has been obliterated as have agriculture and industry Gandhi said reported PTIGazans have been forced into a faminelike situation with the Israeli military cruelly obstructing the delivery of muchneeded food medicine and other aid a dripfeeding of aid amidst an ocean of desperation she said reported PTIIn one of the most revolting acts of inhumanity hundreds of civilians have been shot down while trying to access food she pointed outGandhi opined that the world has been slow to respond implicitly legitimising the Israeli actionsThe recent moves by several countries to recognise Palestine as a sovereign state are a welcome and longdue departure from the policy of inaction she saidThis is a historical moment and an assertion of the principles of justice selfdetermination and human rights These steps are not merely diplomatic gestures they are affirmations of the moral responsibility that nations bear in the face of prolonged injustice It is a reminder that in the modern world silence is not neutrality it is complicity she said reported PTIAnd here Indias voice once so unwavering in the cause of freedom and human dignity has remained conspicuously muted Gandhi said hitting out at the Modi governmentMeanwhile it is appalling that just two weeks ago India not only signed a bilateral investment agreement with Israel in New Delhi but also hosted its highly controversial farright finance minister who has invited global condemnation for his repeated incitements of violence against Palestinian communities in the occupied West Bank she said reported PTIGandhi argued that India must not approach the issue of Palestine as merely a matter of foreign policy but as a test of Indias ethical and civilisational heritageThe people of Palestine have endured decades of displacement prolonged occupation settlement expansion restrictions on movement and repeated assaults on their civil political and human rights she saidTheir plight echoes the struggles that India faced during the colonial era a people deprived of their sovereignty denied a nationhood exploited for their resources and stripped of all rights and securityWe owe Palestine a sense of historical empathy in its quest for dignity and we also owe Palestine the courage to translate that empathy into principled action she saidWith inputs from PTI