Sonia Gandhi questions Centre’s stance on Gaza, says it harms India’s moral standing

New Delhi: Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Saturday launched a sharp attack at Modi government over its position on the Gaza conflict, alleging that its “stony silence” and “inaction” are not just morally reprehensible but also inexplicable from a national interest perspective.

In an opinion article published in The Indian Express, Gandhi argued that India’s present approach has distanced the country from its long-standing foreign policy traditions and historical allies, while weakening its standing on the global stage.

She claimed that New Delhi has alienated itself from Palestine, Iran and the wider West Asia region, while allowing Pakistan to project itself as a mediator in regional affairs.

“The spirit of Indian nationhood demands that it speaks up for Palestinians whose children have been so brutally targeted, and the calculus of national interest demands that India respond to the global public opinion against the Israeli regime’s ‘genocidal actions’ in Gaza and its brutal displacement and dispossession of lakhs of Palestinian families in the occupied West Bank,” she wrote.

“The Modi government’s continued silence simply cannot be explained rationally or morally,” Gandhi added.

Referring to findings of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Gandhi said that in September 2025, the commission concluded that Israeli authorities were committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

She further stated that in June 2026, the same commission, now headed by Justice (retired) S. Muralidhar, “a distinguished Indian jurist”, reiterated that Israeli actions were intended to destroy the very existence of Palestinians in Gaza by targeting children.

Describing the commission’s findings, Gandhi wrote, “The 94-page report is a harrowing read, with grim details on the extent of the devastation perpetrated by Israel in Gaza and the genocidal intent underpinning its actions. At least 20,000 children have been killed, and another 44,000 have been wounded, many for life.”

She further alleged that children had been deliberately targeted during the conflict.

She also claimed that the destruction of healthcare facilities, including paediatric hospitals, had resulted in a 300 per cent increase in miscarriages and childbirth-related complications.

Recalling the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, Gandhi described it as a “dastardly, horrific, and absolutely unacceptable attack.” However, she argued that the Israeli military response over the past two-and-a-half years had been marked by “wanton cruelty and barbarity.”

“Senior Israeli leaders, down from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his senior cabinet colleagues themselves, have called for the ‘complete siege’ and ‘total annihilation’ of Gaza, denounced the Palestinians as ‘animals’ who have ‘no right to exist’, and defined success for Israel as ‘hundreds of thousands fleeing Gaza’,” Gandhi wrote.

Despite what she termed “clear genocidal intent”, Gandhi alleged that the support extended by US President Donald Trump’s administration had enabled Israel to continue its military campaign in Gaza.

She also said the United Nations had been unable to act decisively because of American obstruction, although its agencies had documented alleged Israeli war crimes.

The Congress leader pointed out that several countries historically aligned with the Western bloc, including France, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, had recognised Palestinian statehood after years of inaction. She also noted that South Africa had approached the International Court of Justice, alleging violations of the 1948 Genocide Convention by Israel.

She further said several European countries had imposed restrictions on arms exports to Israel, while a number of Latin American nations had either downgraded or severed diplomatic ties with the country.

Referring to international legal proceedings, Gandhi stated that the International Criminal Court had issued arrest warrants against the Israeli political leadership.

She also claimed that many countries maintaining close ties with India had recognised Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide.

“Amidst the growing public backlash against Israel and the international community’s cognisance of the unjustifiable brutality unleashed on Gaza, India remains a lone voice of silence,” she asserted.

Highlighting India’s historical foreign policy approach, Gandhi said the country had long been recognised for its commitment to post-colonial solidarity, national sovereignty and international peace.

“Today we are exceptional in our continued indifference to the flagrant violation of the global rules-based order, to the suffering of our fellow peoples in the Global South, and to the abasement of human dignity that is on open display in Gaza and the West Bank,” she wrote.

Reiterating her criticism of the Central government, she said, “Modi government’s silence and inaction are not just morally reprehensible but also inexplicable from a national interest perspective.”

The Congress leader further argued that India was moving deeper into Israel’s strategic sphere at a time when, according to her, much of the international community was distancing itself from the country.

She described Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Israel, undertaken shortly before Israel’s military action against Iran and the assassination of senior Iranian political leaders, as a “bewildering strategic decision.”

“We have alienated ourselves from our historical allies in Palestine, Iran, and the larger Middle East. We have distanced ourselves from global public opinion. And we have let Pakistan, of all countries, itself a state that has and continues to harbour dreaded terrorists, swoop in to claim the space of a mediator — a role to which we would have a natural claim given our historically friendly ties with all players,” Gandhi wrote.

Concluding her article, Gandhi alleged that India’s departure from its traditional foreign policy had yielded little beyond the “friendship” between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

IANS