‘Not good sign for Gandhi’s India’: Mehbooba Mufti on PM Modi’s Israel visit | India News
New Delhi: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Israel, saying his visit to the Jewish state “does not bode well for Mahatma Gandhi’s India”.Calling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “criminal”, the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said he was “afraid to visit many countries lest he be arrested”.“I think our country’s policy is against it. Today the whole world is against Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. The International Criminal Court has found him guilty. He does not go to many countries for fear of arrest. Modi, representing 1.4 billion people, goes there and hugs a criminal, meets him and talks, I think, it is not a good sign for our country”.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, on Wednesday during his two-day visit to the West Asian country, where he landed hours before his speech, the first by an Indian prime minister.Beginning his speech with “Shalom” and “Namaste”, Prime Minister Modi expressed grief over the “brutal terror attack” by Hamas on October 7, 2023.“No reason can justify killing civilians,” PM Modi said.“We feel your pain..India stands by Israel..at this moment and beyond; no reason can justify the killing of civilians,” PM Modi said.The moment marked fresh resolve between the two countries against the menace of terrorism, as Prime Minister Modi said India had “also borne the brunt of terrorism for a long time”. Prime Minister Modi arrived at the Knesset, where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara Netanyahu attended a formal reception on Wednesday.With chants of “Modi, Modi”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a standing ovation in the Knesset upon his arrival.Prime Minister Netanyahu described Prime Minister Modi as a “dear friend” and said he was deeply moved by the visit.
