Israel-Palestine: What Is Congress MP Shashi Tharoor's Stance? (Image: Instagram @ shashitharoor)
Amid facing blames on his stance on Israel Palestine “war”, Congress MP, Shashi Tharoor shares a poem by American-Palestinian poet Fadi Joudah. Mr. Tharoor has shared Fadi Joudah’s Mimesis that ends with “She said that’s how others – Become refugees isn’t it?”. He asked the readers to go through the poem “at least twice and think about it”.
Read this at least twice and think about it. Beautiful. Moving. #Refugees pic.twitter.com/lp7HMPzENa
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) October 13, 2023
Earlier, Mr. Tharoor was called out by a session of social media users for not “condemning” Hamas as “terrorists”. In one of his interview, Mr. Tharoor said India should not follow other countries in “labelling” someone as terrorists and such terms should be used carefully. He said Unites States and Israel consider Hamas as terrorists but “India has not made any such classifications. And I am going to stick to the India’s position”.
Mr. Tharoor’s this statement did not sit well with Daniel Carmon, former Israel ambassador to India as he was “frankly shocked”. Taking to X (formerly twitter), Mr. Carmon said, “after the savage slaughter of over a thousand peaceful human beings, can you not label Hamas as terrorist?”
Seriously, @ShashiTharoor,can you not?After decades of terror against my people,challenging the very Palestinian Authority,especially after this week’s savage slaughter of over a thousand peaceful human beings,can you not label Hamas as terrorists?Frankly,I am shocked.#HamasISIS https://t.co/G1crdOtRsz
— 🇮🇱Daniel Carmon🇮🇱 (@danielocarmon) October 11, 2023
Mr. Tharoor responded to the former Israel ambassador to India that all he said was “India has not issued any such designations” even though others have and asked not to be “misled” by “crude headlines”. The former United Nations Under Secretary General also said that what Hamas has “ undoubtedly practices “terrorist acts” which he “roundly condemned”. Mr. Tharoor also said that he “feel” for Mr. Carmon and pray for his “continued safety”.
All I said was that India has not issued such a designation, though others have. Undoubtedly Hamas conducted terrorist acts, which I roundly condemned. Don’t be misled by crude headlines seeking to distort my words, @danielocarmon. I feel for you and other friends in Israel at…
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) October 11, 2023
Mr. Tharoor remarked Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s comment on the Israel Palestine war which accentuated that India stands with Israel. Talking to ANI, the Congress MP said that while Mr. Modi’s take on announcing “solidarity” with Israel is understandable, the PM’s statement is “incomplete” as “there is a larger issue at stake here and a reason behind all of this, which is that there is a dehumanising occupation continuing in many places”.
Following Mr. Modi’s declaration about India’s support to Israel and “condemning” Palestine, the Congress party declared their support for Palestine. The highest decision making body of the party, Congress Working Committee, pronounced their “dismay and anguish” about the escalating war and made it clear that the party support Palestinian people and their right over their “land and self-government and to live with dignity and respect”.
