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 augur well for Mahatma Gandhi’s India”.The former J&K chief minister called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “criminal” and said he was “scared of visiting many countries for fear of being arrested”.“I think the policy of our country is against. Today, the whole world is against Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. The International Criminal Court has indicted him. He has not visited many countries for fear of arrest. Modi, who represents 1.4 billion people, went there to hug a criminal, meet him and talk to him, I think, this is not a good sign for our country, for Gandhi’s India,” Mehbooba told the Press Trust of India news agency in Anantnag.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the Israeli Knesset on Wednesday during a two-day visit to the West Asian country, hours before he delivered the first speech by an Indian prime minister.Prime Minister Modi began his speech with “Shalom” and “Namaste”, expressing condolences for “the brutal terrorist attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023”.Prime Minister Modi said “nothing can justify the murder of civilians”.“We feel your pain… India stands with Israel… at this moment and beyond; nothing can justify the murder of civilians,” Prime Minister Modi said.The moment marked a renewed resolve between the two countries to combat the menace of terrorism, with Prime Minister Modi saying that India “has also suffered the pain of terrorism for a long time”. Prime Minister Modi arrived at the Knesset in Israel on Wednesday, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara Netanyahu attended an official reception.Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a standing ovation as he arrived in the Knesset to the chants of “Modi, Modi”.Prime Minister Netanyahu called Prime Minister Modi a “dear friend” and said he was deeply moved by the visit.


