Congress targets PM Modi’s Tel Aviv visit, warns of ‘grave strategic consequences’ after US-Israel assault on Iran

Salman Khurshid reminded the Modi government that it needs to be mindful of India's “civilisational, economic, energy, geopolitical and diasporic ties” not only with Israel but also with Iran, Palestine and West Asia.

New Delhi: As Israel and the United States launched a joint assault on Iran, Congress on Saturday condemned the attack while finding fault with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Israel, saying it created a “perception of partisan alignment and tacit endorsement of unprovoked aggression” and warned that it will have “grave strategic consequences” for the country.

Urging the government to take “immediate and proactive measures to safeguard our people”, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said the “rapidly escalating hostilities” between US-Israel and Iran are “deeply concerning” and the safety and security of every Indian citizen across the Middle East must be our highest priority.

Party's Foreign Affairs Department head Salman Khurshid said the “perception of political endorsement” of military escalation is “deeply antithetical” to New Delhi's commitment to a rules-based international order and UN Charter.

In a statement, he reminded the Modi government that it needs to be mindful of India's “civilisational, economic, energy, geopolitical and diasporic ties” not only with Israel but also with Iran, Palestine and West Asia.

General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh said the Congress condemned the attack and asked the government to help bring the hostilities to an immediate end.

“For weeks President Trump maintained the charade of diplomacy and negotiations with Iran. Egged on by the Israeli PM Netanyahu and hawks in the US, he has launched a military offensive aimed at achieving regime change,” he said on ‘X’.

In a separate post, he said the joint assault on Iran came two days after Modi “celebrated his visit to Israel” and this was fully expected given their military build-up in the last few months.

“Modi nevertheless chose to go to Israel, where he displayed the highest moral cowardice. He declared that India stood with Israel and got himself an award for saying so. This Israel visit was shameful and it is even more so in light of the war that has been launched by two of Modi’s good friends,” he said.

Media and Publicity Department Chairman Pawan Khera said “Modi’s friend Benjamin Netanyahu” has now launched an attack on “India’s old friend Iran”.

“After all the grandstanding about stopping the Russia-Ukraine war, why did Modi not use his Israel trip to de-escalate tensions between Israel and Iran? Or worse still, does he endorse this war?” he asked.

Khurshid said Congress remains firmly committed to peaceful co-existence, stability and shared prosperity in West Asia and was concerned at Modi's visit at a moment of heightened tensions, a breakout of hostilities and palpable risk of wider conflict in West Asia.

He said Modi’s visit at this juncture creates a “perception of political endorsement of military escalation, which is deeply antithetical to India's historic commitment to a rules-based international order and the UN-Charter -- particularly the prohibition on the use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state and peaceful settlement of disputes”.

“This perception of partisan alignment and tacit endorsement of unprovoked aggression risks compromising India's calibrated position, which will have grave strategic consequences for India,” he said, adding that Modi's “perceived sanction of actions" that undermine the sovereignty of multiple nations undermines India's own principles position on Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir.

“To preserve both moral authority and strategic credibility, India must apply -- uniformly and without exception -- the very principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and peaceful resolution of disputes that India has consistently invoked in defence of its own legitimate national interests,” he said.

Recalling the 2019 'Howdy Mody' event in Houston, Khurshid was also critical of Modi's Israel visit, calling it "ill-timed" as it risks conveying alignment and endorsement of an incumbent government on the eve of national elections.

The Congress values and seeks to deepen India's partnership with Israel as it does with Iran, Palestine and other nations in West Asia and supports engagement in the furtherance of India's strategic and economic interests, he said.

However, he said, such engagement must be carefully balanced against diplomatic considerations and pursued with prudence, particularly when those interests risk being jeopardised by conflict or undermined by perception that the government of the day is sacrificing the nation's civilisational and constitutional principles and commitment to the rules-based international order, he added.