Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Israel has drawn domestic as well as international criticism. The visit was made days before Israel and the US collectively launched airstrikes on Iran, killing the Iranian supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and bombing a school, which left hundreds of innocent schoolgirls dead.
The Indian political opposition has sharply criticised the timing of the visit. Congress General Secretary, Jairam Ramesh, called the timing “shameful”, arguing, “This was fully expected given their military build-up in the last few months. Mr Modi nevertheless chose to go to Israel, where he displayed the highest moral cowardice. He declared that India stood with Israel and got himself an award for saying so.
A former Indian ambassador argued that Modi’s visit to Israel “has completely ripped India off its neutrality. We are seen in the Israeli corner. India had always positioned itself as a strong advocate of Palestine in the past, with the country being one of the first non-Arab states to recognise Palestine in 1988. However, the stance seemed to have taken a shift under Modi’s regime, with India becoming Israel’s largest weapons buyer.
A former Indian ambassador argued that Modi’s visit to Israel “has completely ripped India off its neutrality. We are seen in the Israeli corner.
According to reports, in 2024, as Israel massacred innocent people in Gaza, Indian weapons firms sold Israel rockets and explosives.
Additionally, Modi’s Hindutva ideology closely resembles Israel’s ideology of “Greater Israel” with both pursuing anti-Muslim rhetoric and policies. Many Indian politicians and journalists have strongly criticised the move, arguing that it creates a perception of “tacit endorsement” of unprovoked military aggression and is in conflict with the non-alignment policy, which India claims to follow. While Modi faced severe backlash at home, the international media has also been blunt in its criticism. Bloomberg called the trip “suspicious and diplomatically risky” while an Israeli journalist described Modi’s role as a “cheap advertisement” for Netanyahu’s election campaign.
Netanyahu has been under severe criticism at home due to corruption charges and the October 7 Hamas attack, which many term as an intelligence failure. However, experts believe that Modi’s visit, followed by the agreements signed between the two countries, may help improve his image at home. The visit comes at a time when not many countries, especially from the Global South, are willing to be perceived as Israel’s friends, given Israel’s genocidal atrocities committed against the Palestinians.
Modi’s visit to Israel not only yields personal benefits for Netanyahu but also aims to maximise dividends for New Delhi itself.
British-American journalist Max Rodenback stated, “India is perhaps positioning itself to benefit. Also, Modi sees Israel as influential in Washington, and may hope that friendliness to Israel wins points with Congress and Trump, which India badly needs.”
Modi’s visit also positions India as an unreliable partner and friend. In his speech at the Knesset, Modi said, “India stands with Israel, firmly, with full conviction, in this moment, and beyond.” US-Israel strikes on Iran began 48 hours after Modi left for India, and many believe that Modi had advance knowledge about the attack. Keeping that in view, Modi’s words suggest support for Israel’s aggression against Iran and a stab in Iran’s back, India’s long-standing friend and partner. As New Delhi actively aligns itself with an aggressor and a perpetrator of war crimes, its policy of “non-alignment”, which it once took great pride in, has been exposed as a hollow facade.
The writer is a freelance columnist.