Priyanka Gandhi Vadra urges PM Modi to speak on Gaza ‘genocide’ in Knesset address du
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra urges PM Modi to speak on Gaza ‘genocide’ in Knesset address during Israel visit
M.U.H
25/02/202619
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address the Gaza conflict when he addresses the Israeli Parliament, Knesset, during his two-day visit to Israel.
Vadra called for justice for innocent victims and emphasised India's historic commitment to truth and peace on the global stage.
“I hope that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentions the genocide of thousands of innocent men, women and children in Gaza while addressing the Knesset on his upcoming trip to Israel and demands justice for them,” Gandhi, the Wayanad MP, wrote on X ahead of PM Modi's two-day state visit to Israel that began on Wednesday.
“India has stood for what is right throughout our history as an independent nation. We must continue to show the light of truth, peace and justice to the world,” she said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi left for Israel on a two-day state visit today, 25 February. This is PM Modi's first visit to Israel as prime minister since 2017, before his counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu reciprocated with a visit to India the following year.
This is also PM Modi's first trip to Israel after Israel and Hamas agreed on a ceasefire governed by the “Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict” in October last year. Last week, India, together with more than 100 other nations, condemned Israel’s expansion in the West Bank.
PM Modi's visit, at the invitation of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, marks his second to Israel, following his 2017 trip, when he became the first-ever Indian Prime Minister to visit the country.
What's PM Modi's agenda in Israel?
During the visit, Prime Minister Modi will meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The two leaders will review the significant progress made in the India-Israel Strategic Partnership and discuss further opportunities in various areas of cooperation, including science and technology, innovation, defence and security, agriculture, water management, trade and economy, and people-to-people exchanges.
According to the MEA, the leaders are also expected to exchange perspectives on regional and global issues of mutual interest.
Among other engagements, Modi will meet Netanyahu for a private dinner and address Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, on Wednesday, the first day of his second trip to Israel as prime minister.
The Prime Minister will also call on Isaac Herzog, the President of Israel.
Priyanka Gandhi's Gaza Stand
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has been vocal on the Gaza conflict. She had earlier accused Israel of ‘genocide’ in Gaza. In 2024, she even flaunted her bag in Parliament, which had Palestine emblazoned on it with watermelon symbols.
With "Palestine" in bold, the bag symbolised solidarity with Palestinians and featured a watermelon. The fruit motif is a long-recognised symbol of resistance in the region.
In September last year, the United Nations Commission of Inquiry said Israel had committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
The new report said there are reasonable grounds to conclude that four of the five genocidal acts defined under international law have been carried out since the start of the latest phase of war with Hamas in 2023: killing members of a group, causing them serious bodily and mental harm, deliberately inflicting conditions calculated to destroy the group, and preventing births.
What's the Indian stand on Palestine been?
India’s position on Palestine and Gaza is officially based on a two-state solution, balancing support for Palestinian statehood with strong strategic ties to Israel. India supports the establishment of a sovereign, independent and viable State of Palestine, living side by side with Israel in peace and security within recognised borders.
While India has condemned terrorism and the 7 October 2023 attacks by Hamas on Israel, it has expressed concern over civilian casualties in Gaza.
India formally recognised Palestinian statehood way back on 18 November 1988.
"But India's policy in regard to Palestine - especially for the past 20 months - has been shameful and one of moral cowardice," Congress general secretary in-charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, said in September 2025 on X in an apparent reference to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
What's happening in Gaza right now?
While large-scale fighting between Israel and Hamas stopped under the “Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict,” agreed in October last year, there has not yet been a final political settlement. The ceasefire halted major combat operations but left core issues — governance, reconstruction, hostages, and long-term security arrangements — unresolved.
