Calls grow to expel Israeli ambassador for interference in India

A diplomatic storm erupted in India after Israeli Ambassador Rony Yedidia Reuven Azar sharply criticised opposition leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra over her remarks condemning Israel’s actions in Gaza, 24NewsHD TV channel reported on Wednesday.

Priyanka Gandhi, General Secretary of the Indian National Congress, posted on X that “The Israeli state is committing genocide. It has murdered over 60,000 people, 18,430 of them children. It has starved hundreds, including children, to death and threatens to starve millions.” 

She called the Modi government’s silence on the matter “shameful” and its stance on Palestine “deceptive”, noting that while global criticism of Israeli aggression grows, New Delhi remains mute.

In response, Israel’s envoy to India labelled her statement “shameful” and accused her of deceit. In his post, He said in his tweet, " 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 fir. Israel facilitated 2 million tonnes of food into Gaza while Hamas tries to sequestrate them, thereby creating hunger. Gaza population has grown 450% in the last 50 years, no genocide there. Don't buy Hamas numbers."

The ambassador’s remarks drew sharp backlash within India. Academic Ashok Swain wrote on X that the envoy was “personally targeting an Indian opposition leader and member of parliament”, questioning whether “the new India has given Israel the right to interfere in its domestic politics.”

Critics say the episode exposes a deeper Israeli influence on India’s political and ideological landscape. Analysts argue that under Modi’s “New India”, Israel’s ambassador has begun to resemble a “Viceroy”, with policies shaped under Israeli patronage and pressure, a trend some warn poses a serious threat to regional peace and stability.

Public anger over the envoy’s comments has sparked calls for his expulsion, with opponents accusing the Modi government of allowing unprecedented foreign interference in domestic political discourse.