Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Thursday issued a statement responding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent address to the Knesset, saying the historical record reflects a deeper and more nuanced engagement by India’s first Prime Minister with the question of Israel’s creation.
In his address to the Israeli Parliament on Wednesday, Modi had drawn attention to the fact that India recognised the new state of Israel on the day he was born. The Prime Minister described the moment as a “historic coincidence,” while underlining the evolution of India–Israel ties in recent years.
Ramesh, however, said that India’s engagement with Israel predated formal recognition and was shaped by deliberations led by Jawaharlal Nehru. “Actually, Albert Einstein had written to Jawaharlal Nehru on June 13, 1947, on the subject of the creation of Israel,” Ramesh said in his statement. “Nehru replied to Einstein a month later, reflecting the complexity of India’s position at the time.”
The Congress leader also pointed out that Nehru and Albert Einstein met on November 5, 1949, at Einstein’s home in Princeton, describing the meeting as emblematic of the intellectual and diplomatic exchanges that informed India’s early foreign policy.
Providing further historical context, Ramesh noted that in November 1952, Einstein was offered the Presidency of Israel — an offer he declined. “This underscores the unique moral authority he commanded in global affairs,” Ramesh said.
He added that shortly before Einstein’s death in April 1955, he and Nehru exchanged letters on the issue of nuclear explosions and weapons. “Their correspondence went beyond the immediate question of Israel and touched upon humanity’s gravest concerns, including nuclear weapons,” Ramesh said, suggesting that India’s early leadership viewed global diplomacy through a broader ethical lens.
The remarks come amid renewed political debate over the trajectory of India–Israel relations. While the Modi government has significantly deepened strategic and defence cooperation with Israel, the Congress has often emphasised India’s historic support for the Palestinian cause alongside engagement with Israel.
Ramesh’s intervention appears aimed at situating current diplomatic engagements within a longer historical continuum, highlighting the intellectual exchanges and moral considerations that shaped India’s early foreign policy under Nehru.
