Left opposes Israel’s PM tour of India

New Delhi: The CPI(M) on Thursday said the Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu is not welcome in India. Mr Netanyahu, along with 130 businessmen, will visit India for six days starting from January 14. Israeli Prime Minister is reciprocating Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit in Israel in 2017. Mr Netanyahu is the second Israel Prime Minister to visit India after Ariel Sharon in 2003, when the BJP led government was in power. “Netanyahu and Modi are ideological soul mates – one represents right-wing ultra-Jewish nationalism while the other is an advocate of right-wing Hindutva nationalism”, the CPI(M) said in an editorial of its mouthpiece People’s Democracy.

The left party alleged that by visiting Israe,l Mr Modi clearly signalled his support for the Israeli occupation by not visiting the Palestinian authority in the West Bank.The coalition headed by Netanyahu is the most right-wing government that Israel has had. It consists of ultra-right Jewish parties who openly advocate expulsion of the Palestinian people from the occupied territories and treating the Arabs within the borders of Israel as second-class citizens, the CPI(M) said.

It also alleged that the Netanyahu government has legalised the private lands expropriated from Palestinians. And now, Israel has decided to allow a new settlement to be built in the West Bank after two decades, while expanding existing settlements.“All this is being done to prevent the emerging of an independent State of Palestine", the CPI(M) said.The CPI(M) said that contrary to the BJP government’s pro-Israeli stance, India and its people have always stood in solidarity with the Palestinian people and opposed Israeli aggression. “Netanyahu should know that his aggressive anti-Palestinian policies are opposed by the secular democratic minded people of India”, the left party said.(UNI)