The turnaround in the India-Israel Gaza crisis under the Central government, whose continued silence despite the ongoing conflict despite high civilian death tolls in Gaza has been a matter of concern to Congress parliamentary party president Sonia Gandhi.
On the humanitarian front, Sonia Gandhi alleged that there had been 20,000 or more children killed and 44,000 others injured in the conflict. She claimed that children literally were being “specifically targeted” and that Israel was trying to wipe out the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip.
The Congress leader also challenged India’s diplomatic stance saying the country has not taken a tough public stance after the Israeli military action. She said countries around the world were alienating themselves from Israel over the issue and India’s position seemed to have become closer to the Israeli government.
In her address, Sonia Gandhi also drew attention to the humanitarian situation in Gaza, and said that “India is the only country left which is speaking a dead language to Netanyahu and Israel.
Her off-the-cuff response follows ongoing worldwide discussion on the conflict, with Israel’s governments and international organizations disagreeing on the country’s military campaign and the plight of the Palestinian territory’s population.
The Center has long held that India is opposed to violence and endorse a peaceful resolution of the conflict through discussions, and reiterated its long-stated policy of a two states’ solution. India has also insisted on protecting the lives of the helpless civilians, the return of the hostages and ensuring unhindered delivery of humanitarian relief to the victims of the conflict.
The crucial geo-political discussion amongst the political players in India could likely intensify with the remarks by Sonia Gandhi, who is likely to spark reactions from parties on both the sides, specifically in relation to India’s stance on the Israel-Gaza issue and the diplomatic interaction it is maintaining with the two countries.