New Delhi, March 28 The Congress claimed on Saturday that Israel is moving forward with its vision of a "Greater Israel" under the cover of the West Asia war, effectively ending any hope for a Palestinian state, and criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not speaking out against its actions in the West Bank.
Congress general secretary in charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, said that it has been 28 days since the US-Israel aerial bombings of Iran and Iran's counter-offensive began.
"In the past four weeks, while the world's attention has been focused on the Strait of Hormuz and energy infrastructure in Gulf countries, Israel has (i) continued its brutality against the people of Gaza; (ii) begun operations to create a large buffer zone for itself in southern Lebanon; and (iii) taken decisive steps to convert its annexation of the West Bank into a firm occupation," Ramesh said on X.
He stated that the current West Asia war is providing cover for Israel to pursue its vision of a "Greater Israel" and also to end any hope for a Palestinian state.
"The US-Israel bombing of Iran began just two days after Mr. Modi left Israel. What is not realized is that just a few days before he arrived there, the Israeli cabinet had approved land registration in roughly half of the occupied West Bank for the first time since 1967," Ramesh said.
"This would lead to the dispossession of lakhs of Palestinians. But Mr. Modi does not have the courage to speak out and tell his good friend Benjamin Netanyahu the truth," the Congress leader said.
The Congress had strongly criticised Prime Minister Modi's visit to Israel last month, despite the country "mercilessly" continuing attacks on civilians in Gaza.
The opposition party said that the Modi government has made cynical and hypocritical statements about its commitment to the cause of Palestinians, but in reality, it has abandoned them.
Israel's dispossession and displacement of thousands of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank has intensified and drawn worldwide condemnation, Ramesh had said last month.
Israel's attacks on civilians in Gaza continue mercilessly, he had said.
