Leader of the Opposition in the Telangana Legislative Council Mohammed Shabbir Ali today said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has committed a diplomatic blunder by not visiting Palestine during his three-day stay in Israel. The Prime Minister could have spared a few hours to visit holy icons of Islam and Christianity in Palestine and Jerusalem.
In a pressnote here on Friday, Shabbir Ali stated that India got no advantage by his visit to Isreal and put future of lakhs of Indian workers in Gulf in jeopardy by displaying “indifference” towards Palestine. The Prime Minister put the India foreign policy towards Muslims nations in jeopardy by his tour of Isreal and not visiting Palestine during the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Isreal. He said the Prime Minister, who spent three days in Isreal strolling on the beach and also visiting museums, could have also spent a few hours visiting the grand Mosque of Palestine and also the Holy icons of Christianity at Jerusalem. “ If the Prime Minister had displayed statesmanship it would have gone a long way in reassuring all minorities in India and abroad confidence in the concept of secularism, which was a core element of the Indian democracy”, he added.
A short visit by the PM to any of the Arab countries or at least Palestine would have cemented lasting good will and brotherhood and elevated the pride of all Indians working there, he said, adding that PM’s visit to Isreal sent a wrong signal to the friendly Middle East countries and it is essential for both the PMO and the MEA to make a timely announcement on how and why the PM’s itinerary missed Palestine – even for a few hours – and set right the diplomatic blunder”. (NSS)