India's act of alienating itself from ally United States' decision to relocate its embassy to Jerusalem was an insufficient response, feels former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah.
Terming the response a "wishy-washy drivel", Abdullah said that such a move in the past would have drawn strong condemnation from India.
"There was a time when the Trump Administration move to over turn decades of US policy WRT #Jersualem would have provoked a strong condemnation from India," he said.
"Now all you get is some wishy washy drivel about India's position determined by our self interest & not what other countries do. There was a time India stood for something," he wrote on Twitter.
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced that the US embassy will be relocating from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, de facto recognising the holy city as capital of Israel. The decision was in contradiction with decades of US and international policy on the matter.
Historically, India has supported the Palestinian cause and has recognised East Jerusalem as the capital of an independent Palestinian state.
Reacting to Trump's statement, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement: "India's position on Palestine is independent and consistent. It is shaped by our views and interests, and not determined by any third country."
In recent times, India has become more open about its close ties with Israel as a defence and cultural partner. This year, PM Modi became first Indian prime minister to visit Israel.
