NEW DELHI, (PTI):- The Congress on Monday took a swipe at the Centre after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu first broke news of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Israel, saying India is hearing about its own government’s actions from foreign leaders.
Modi will travel to Israel on a two-day visit from February 25, sources said on Monday.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu first broke news of Modi’s visit while addressing the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organisations on Sunday. “Parliament address on the anvil. Who’s coming here next week? Narendra Modi,” Netanyahu told the gathering.
In a post on X, Congress general secretary, communications, Jairam Ramesh said, “India hears of the halt to Operation Sindoor first from the US Secretary of State. India hears of the India-US trade deal first from the US President.”
“Just now India has heard of Prime Minister Modi’s dates for his visit to Israel first from Mr. Netanyahu – who has reduced Gaza to rubble and dust and is now dispossessing and displacing more Palestinians in the occupied West Bank,” Ramesh said.
A source in Jerusalem told PTI that PM Modi’s visit is “likely to be short from February 25 to 26”, but “its impact is deep given the popularity Modi enjoys not only in Israel but around the world”.
While the programme around the visit is being worked out, PM Modi is expected to address the Israeli Knesset (parliament), where he is likely to touch upon all issues of bilateral and regional interest during his two-day visit.
This would be his second visit to Israel, the first being in July 2017, which was also the first ever by an Indian prime minister to the Jewish state.