New Delhi: Sonia Gandhi, Chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP), has slammed India's abstention on the United Nations vote calling for ceasefire in Gaza and also questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi for ignoring to "mention Palestinian rights" in his statement while condemning Hamas attacks.
In an editorial in The Hindu, Sonia Gandhi wrote:
"It is noteworthy that the reiteration of India’s historic position on Palestine came only after Israel began its assault on Gaza. The Prime Minister had made no mention of Palestinian rights in the initial statement expressing complete solidarity with Israel."
The Chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party, then slammed the Narendra Modi government's decision to abstain from voting on the UN General Assembly Resolution calling for ceasefire in Gaza. Sonia Gandhi wrote:
"The Indian National Congress is strongly opposed to India’s abstention on the recent United Nations General Assembly Resolution calling for an ‘immediate, durable and sustained humanitarian truce leading to a cessation of hostilities’ between Israeli forces and Hamas in Gaza."
Sonia Gandhi also reiterated her party's stand saying:
"The Indian National Congress has been consistent over the years in its strong belief that both the Palestinians and Israelis have the right to live in a just peace."
Sonida Gandhi also accused the Zionist regime in Israel of avenging the Hamas attack by killing Palestinians in Gaza who have nothing to do with what happened on Oct. 7.
"This tragedy (Hamas attacck) is, however, being compounded by the Israeli military’s indiscriminate operations in and around Gaza that have led to thousands of deaths, including large numbers of innocent children, women and men." "The power of the Israeli state is now focused on exacting revenge from a population that is largely as helpless as it is blameless. The destructive might of one of the world’s most potent military arsenals is being unleashed upon children, women and men who have no part in the Hamas assault; they, instead, for the most part, have been at the heart of decades of discrimination and suffering.
"This tragedy (Hamas attacck) is, however, being compounded by the Israeli military’s indiscriminate operations in and around Gaza that have led to thousands of deaths, including large numbers of innocent children, women and men."
"The power of the Israeli state is now focused on exacting revenge from a population that is largely as helpless as it is blameless. The destructive might of one of the world’s most potent military arsenals is being unleashed upon children, women and men who have no part in the Hamas assault; they, instead, for the most part, have been at the heart of decades of discrimination and suffering.
Sonia also warned Israel of making a grievous error in equating the actions of Hamas with the Palestinian people.
"The Israeli government is making a grievous error in equating the actions of Hamas with the Palestinian people. In its determination to destroy Hamas, it has unleashed indiscriminate death and destruction against the ordinary people of Gaza." "Even if the long history of the suffering of the Palestinians is ignored, by what logic can a whole population be held responsible for the actions of a few?" Sonia asked.
"The Israeli government is making a grievous error in equating the actions of Hamas with the Palestinian people. In its determination to destroy Hamas, it has unleashed indiscriminate death and destruction against the ordinary people of Gaza."
"Even if the long history of the suffering of the Palestinians is ignored, by what logic can a whole population be held responsible for the actions of a few?" Sonia asked.
Sonia Gandhi also slammed the derogatory language used by the Israeli Defence Minister against the Palestinians.
"The prospects for the future are ominous. Senior Israeli officials have spoken of destroying and depopulating large parts of Gaza. The Israeli Defence Minister has referred to Palestinians as “human animals”. This dehumanising language is shocking coming from the descendants of those who themselves were the victims of the Holocaust", former President of the Congress party wrote in the article.
Sonia Gandhi also denounced the aggressions of Israeli settlers who backed by the Israeli troops throw Palestinians out of their homes.
"There can be no peace without justice. Israel’s unremitting blockade for over a decade and a half has reduced Gaza to an “open-air prison” for its two million inhabitants packed into dense cities and refugee camps. "In Jerusalem and the West Bank, Israeli settlers backed by the Israeli state have continued to push out Palestinians from their own land in a seeming effort to destroy the vision of a two-state solution. Peace will come only if the world, led by countries that have the ability to influence policies and events, can restart the process of restoring the two-state vision and make it a reality", Sonia wrote. "The Indian National Congress has been consistent over the years in its strong belief that both the Palestinians and Israelis have the right to live in a just peace. We value our friendship with the people of Israel. But this does not mean that we erase from our memories, the painful history of forced dispossession of the Palestinians from what was their homeland for centuries, and of years of suppression of their basic right to a life of dignity and self-respect", she wrote.
"There can be no peace without justice. Israel’s unremitting blockade for over a decade and a half has reduced Gaza to an “open-air prison” for its two million inhabitants packed into dense cities and refugee camps.
"In Jerusalem and the West Bank, Israeli settlers backed by the Israeli state have continued to push out Palestinians from their own land in a seeming effort to destroy the vision of a two-state solution. Peace will come only if the world, led by countries that have the ability to influence policies and events, can restart the process of restoring the two-state vision and make it a reality", Sonia wrote.
"The Indian National Congress has been consistent over the years in its strong belief that both the Palestinians and Israelis have the right to live in a just peace. We value our friendship with the people of Israel. But this does not mean that we erase from our memories, the painful history of forced dispossession of the Palestinians from what was their homeland for centuries, and of years of suppression of their basic right to a life of dignity and self-respect", she wrote.
Sonia Gandhi's article came two days after her daughter and Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said she was "shocked and ashamed" by Modi government's decision to abstain from voting on UN Gaza Resolution.
Commenting on the Palestinian question and India stand, former union minister and NCP Chief Sharad Pawar said Modi government is "confused on the Palestine policy".
India abstains from voting on the UN resolution on the Palestinian issue because it did not mention Hamas. However, the member states who supported the motion said the resolution did not mention Israel either because “they did not want to politicize a humanitarian issue”.
Israel meanwhile said its ground troops are fighting inside Gaza as it subjected the besieged territory to the heaviest bombardment since the war began even as the United Nations called for “humanitarian ceasefire” in the region.
Earlier, the entire communication system of the Gaza Strip was destroyed, allowing only speculation currently about the sheer amount of damage that has been caused by the bombardment of the northern part of the Strip and Gaza City, according to Al Jazeera.
Gaza communication system is being slowly restored even as International media and aid agencies said they lost contact with staff in Gaza amid a near-total communications blackout.
More than 8,000 people have been killed in Gaza and West Bank since October 07, 2023 when Palestinian resistance group launched what it called “Operation al Aqsa Flood” in Israel killing 1,400 people.
Prime Minister Modi was among the first world leaders to condemn the Hamas attack in just few hours. PM Modi’s condemnation was seen as open support for Israel – a policy shift.
The government however few days later through a spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs reiterated its Palestine policy and expressed its solidarity.
In another gesture, PM Modi spoke to Palestinian President Abbas and also sent aid for the besieged Palestinians in Gaza.
The Modi government however took another turn Friday when it abstained from voting on the UN resolution calling for humanitarian truce in Gaza.
This is not the first time Sharad Pawar has found faults in Modi government’s Palestine policy. He had on October 15, 2023 reminded the government about the consistent support extended to the Palestinians by all the previous governments, including the one led by BJP leader Atal Bihar Vjapayee.
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