Naked Arrogance… Send Him Back”: Row Over Israel Ambassador’s Response To Priyanka Gandhi
A row has erupted after Israel’s Ambassador to India, Reuven Azar, publicly attacked Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra over her remarks on the war in Gaza, triggering a wave of political and public outrage.
Priyanka Gandhi had accused the Israeli state of committing genocide, claiming that more than 60,000 people, including 18,430 children, had been killed, with hundreds starved to death and millions threatened with famine. “Enabling these crimes by silence and inaction is a crime in itself,” she said, calling it “shameful” that the Indian Government had “stood silent” in the face of Israel’s actions against Palestinians.
Ambassador Azar hit back, accusing Priyanka of deceit. He claimed Israel had killed 25,000 Hamas fighters and said civilian casualties were the result of Hamas using civilians as human shields, blocking aid, and firing rockets from populated areas. He added that Israel had sent two million tonnes of food into Gaza and that the territory’s population had grown 450% in 50 years, arguing there was “no genocide”.
The response drew strong criticism from leaders from various quarters. Congress leader Pawan Khera said it was unprecedented and intolerable that the envoy of a state accused globally of genocide would target a sitting Indian MP. He called it a direct affront to the dignity of Indian democracy and questioned whether External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar would address what he described as a public attempt to intimidate Priyanka Gandhi. Khera asked if freedom of speech in India was now being regulated from Israel, insisting that no amount of deflection or whitewashing could obscure the facts. He said the world was witnessing, in real time, the killing of civilians in Gaza, including those queuing for aid, and that the international community would neither forget nor forgive the heartbreaking images emerging from the conflict.
“Hope Ministry of External Affairs of India reprimands this Hon. Ambassador. Earlier too I had wanted to move a privilege motion against Polish Ambassador (now former) for his tweet attack at me, but after a discussion with Minister of EA chose not to raise it. However this is emboldening them to speak to Indian parliamentarians in this tone and tenor while in our own country. This is unacceptable,” said Rajya Sabha member and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi.
Former Indian Youth Congress president Srinivas BV called it “naked arrogance” and “foreign interference in our democratic space”, warning the Ambassador not to “police Indian voices” or attempt to “shield Israel’s crimes”. He accused the Israeli government of having “blood on its hands” and said history would remember its actions.
On social media, several voices demanded action. “Stay within your limits and learn how to talk to an Indian,” wrote one user. Another said the “Indian government must send back this fellow immediately”.
IYC national secretary Manu Jain suggested the Ambassador’s comments had tacit approval from External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, arguing that no foreign envoy would otherwise “dare attack an Indian politician on Indian soil”. Tamil Nadu Congress leader Dhivya Marunthiah described Israel as a “genocidal regime” and accused Azar of attacking an Indian leader while his state committed a “brutal massacre” in Gaza.
Congress activist Subodh Kumar Pandey issued a lengthy statement expressing solidarity with Priyanka Gandhi, condemning the “calculated crimes against humanity” in Gaza, including mass killings, the weaponisation of starvation, and attacks on the free press. He accused Ambassador Azar of making “baseless and disparaging attacks” on an opposition MP, calling it a “blatant insult to India’s sovereignty”.
Pandey demanded that the Israeli envoy be summoned to issue an “unconditional apology” or face expulsion. He reiterated Priyanka’s warning that silence in the face of such atrocities amounted to complicity and urged India to demand an end to the Gaza siege and the restoration of “fundamental humanity and dignity”.
