New Delhi, Feb 25 (UNI) Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday sharply criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of his State Visit to Israel, invoking India’s historical support for the Palestinian cause and accusing the government of abandoning a principled foreign policy stance.
In a post on X, Ramesh recalled that on May 20, 1960, then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru visited Gaza and met members of the Indian contingent serving with the United Nations Emergency Force. He also noted that on November 29, 1981, India issued a commemorative postage stamp in solidarity with Palestine, and that on November 18, 1988, India formally recognised the State of Palestine.
“That was a different era,” Ramesh wrote. “Now the Indian Prime Minister is brazenly embracing the Prime Minister of Israel, who has reduced Gaza to rubble and dust and who is orchestrating the expansion of illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.”
Referring to Prime Minister Modi’s description of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a “dear friend,” Ramesh added, “When the entire world is critical of his ‘dear friend’ Mr. Netanyahu, Mr. Modi will be displaying moral cowardice.”
Prime Minister Modi is on a two-day visit to Israel from February 25–26 at the invitation of Netanyahu. During the trip, he will also meet Israeli President Isaac Herzog and is set to become the first Indian Prime Minister to address the Knesset.
In his departure statement, Modi said India and Israel share a “robust and multifaceted Strategic Partnership” and expressed his intention to deepen cooperation in defence, technology, agriculture, water management, trade, and innovation, as well as to exchange views on regional and global issues.
Ramesh’s remarks underscore the Congress party’s attempt to contrast the current government’s Israel policy with what it describes as India’s historically consistent support for Palestinian self-determination.
Under Nehru and successive Congress governments, India was an early and vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause, advocating a two-state solution and backing Palestinian representation in international forums. India’s formal recognition of Palestine in 1988 was seen as a milestone in that policy trajectory.
However, bilateral ties between India and Israel have expanded significantly in recent decades, particularly in defence, agriculture, and technology cooperation. The relationship was elevated to a Strategic Partnership in 2017, reflecting growing political and security alignment.
The Bharatiya Janata Party-led government has maintained that India’s relations with Israel stand on their own merit and do not come at the expense of its longstanding support for a negotiated two-state solution.
With Prime Minister Modi’s Knesset address expected to draw global attention, opposition leaders’ comments have injected domestic political debate into the diplomatic spotlight surrounding the visit.
