Congress, Shiv Sena demand action against Israeli Ambassador
Ms. Vadra had posted on X on Tuesday (August 12, 2025) that 'the Israeli state is committing genocide.'
'It has murdered over 60,000 people, 18,430 of whom were children. It has starved hundreds to death including many children and is threatening to starve millions. Enabling these crimes by silence and inaction is a crime in itself. It is shameful that the Indian Government stands silent as Israel unleashes this devastation on the people of Palestine,' Ms. Vadra's post said.
Responding to the post, Reuven Azar, Israel's Ambassador to India, said, 'What is shameful is your deceit. Israel killed 25,000 Hamas terrorists. The terrible cost in human lives derives from Hamas's heinous tactics of hiding behind civilians, their shooting of people trying to evacuate or receive assistance and their rocket fire. Israel facilitated 2 million tonnes of food into Gaza while Hamas tries to sequestrate them, thereby creating hunger. The Gaza population has grown by 450% in the last 50 years, no genocide there. Don't buy Hamas numbers.'
'Unacceptable'
Sharing her own experience with a diplomat's negative comments, Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi expressed the hope that the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) would reprimand the Ambassador. 'Earlier too, I had wanted to move a privilege motion against the Polish Ambassador (now former) for his tweet attack on me, but after a discussion with the Minister of External Affairs (MEA), I chose not to raise it. However, this is emboldening them to speak to Indian parliamentarians in this tone and tenor while in our own country. This is unacceptable,' Ms. Chaturvedi said.
Congress communications chief Jairam Ramesh said that the party condemns the words used by Mr. Azar in response to the pain and anguish expressed by Ms. Vadra on Israel's continuing genocide in Gaza. 'It is too much to expect the Modi Govt, which has shown extreme moral cowardice when it comes to speaking out on Israel's destruction of Gaza over the past 18-20 months, to take serious exception and objection to the Ambassador's response. We do and find it totally unacceptable,' Mr. Ramesh said.
A response from the MEA is awaited.
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