Gaza war sped up India’s shift towards Israel under Modi

What does India’s closer embrace of Israel under Narendra Modi look like in practice, and how did Bezalel Smotrich’s 2025 visit demonstrate it?

India’s closer embrace of Israel means a once mostly covert relationship has become open and broad. Under Narendra Modi, it includes political support, defense ties, trade and investment. This matters because India was historically one of Palestine’s strongest supporters, while now it is deepening ties as Israel faces international isolation over Gaza.

Bezalel Smotrich’s September 2025 visit offered a striking example. India welcomed Israel’s far-right finance minister with garlands. He signed a trade deal in New Delhi, visited Mumbai’s stock exchange and travelled to a new investment hub in Gujarat, Modi’s home state. The visit happened while Israel was bombing Gaza and killing dozens.

The relationship is likely to remain strategically important for New Delhi. Analysts connect it to Israel’s military and diplomatic power, as well as Modi’s domestic politics. The visit showed India expanding business with Israel even while several traditional Israeli allies were restricting or sanctioning its officials.

Who is Bezalel Smotrich, and why was his welcome in India especially controversial?

Bezalel Smotrich is Israel’s far-right finance minister and a prominent colleague of Itamar Ben-Gvir. The article says he advocated the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in Gaza and the annexation of the occupied West Bank. Those positions made him a highly divisive figure during Israel’s war in Gaza.

His September 2025 visit to India was especially controversial because the United Kingdom, France, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Norway had already banned his entry. The European Union was also preparing sanctions against Smotrich and Ben-Gvir. India instead welcomed Smotrich with garlands and arranged a multi-city visit.

The symbolism mattered as much as the business. Smotrich signed a trade deal, visited Mumbai’s stock exchange and travelled to Gujarat while Israel was bombing Gaza. His reception suggested that India was expanding its relationship with Israel despite the growing international isolation of Netanyahu’s government and its far-right ministers.

What is Hindutva, and why do analysts see similarities between this ideology and Israel’s idea of itself as a homeland for Jews?

Hindutva is the philosophy rooted in the BJP that seeks to transform India into a Hindu nation and a natural homeland for Hindus anywhere in the world. The article presents it as an important background to India’s changing relationship with Israel. It links national identity, religion and ideas about homeland.

Analysts see a similarity with Israel’s view of itself as a Jewish homeland. Both ideas connect a state to a religious or cultural people, including people living elsewhere. The article also notes that India’s Hindu right has long supported Zionism. That provides an ideological bridge beyond military or economic interests.

This similarity does not mean the two countries have identical histories or political systems. It helps explain why some Indian right-wing groups admire Israel’s “muscular policy”. Analysts also connect the relationship to domestic narratives about Islamist expansionism, terrorism, Kashmir and Pakistan, especially after October 7.

How extensive is the India-Israel defense relationship, including India’s weapons purchases from Israel and alleged weapons exports to Israel during the Gaza war?

The article portrays the India-Israel defense relationship as extensive, but it does not provide purchase totals, contract values or weapon quantities. It states that India has become Israel’s largest weapons buyer under Modi. That makes defense cooperation a central pillar of the countries’ closer strategic relationship.

The relationship also appears to run in both directions. Investigations by Al Jazeera and other reporting revealed that New Delhi exported weapons to Israel during the ongoing war in Gaza. The article does not identify the specific weapons or explain their route. Its key point is that India supplied military goods while publicly maintaining a broader language of diplomacy.

This creates a sharp tension for India. New Delhi has traditionally argued that war cannot solve conflicts and that dialogue is necessary. Yet its purchases from Israel and alleged wartime exports strengthen practical cooperation with Israel. The article suggests this alignment could continue as India expands business and strategic ties.

How did Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack change the way Modi’s government publicly framed its relationship with Israel?

The October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack changed the public tone of Modi’s Israel policy. Within hours, Modi unequivocally condemned what he called a “terrorist attack” and said he was deeply shocked. The framing placed Israel under attack and made counterterrorism the central language of the relationship.

During his later visit to Israel, Modi connected the attack to the 2008 Mumbai attacks, which New Delhi blamed on Pakistani fighters and the Pakistani government. He told Israelis that India and Israel shared a consistent, uncompromising policy of zero tolerance for terrorism, with no double standards. This created a direct political and emotional parallel.

Analysts say the framing helped Modi justify moving India closer to Israel. It also fit domestic BJP narratives about Islamist expansionism and Islamic terrorism. The article notes that anti-Muslim sentiment filled this political space after October 7, alongside practical calculations about Israel’s power and usefulness to New Delhi.

What consequences could India’s closer alignment with Israel have for its longstanding support for Palestinians and its claim to pursue balanced diplomacy?

India’s closer alignment with Israel could make its longstanding support for Palestinians appear less consistent. For decades, New Delhi was described as one of Palestine’s staunchest supporters. At the same time, it traditionally argued that diplomacy and dialogue—not war—should resolve conflicts. Deepening military and political ties challenge that older image.

The article gives concrete signs of the tension. India became Israel’s largest weapons buyer under Modi, and investigations found that New Delhi exported weapons to Israel during the Gaza war. India also welcomed Smotrich while other countries barred him or prepared sanctions. These actions create a visible gap between diplomatic language and practical policy.

The future implication is not stated as a definite outcome, but the shift may continue. Analysts describe Israel as a potent international player and connect the relationship to Indian domestic politics. As India expands trade, defense cooperation and public ties, maintaining a balanced position on Palestine and Israel will become harder to demonstrate.

What is a two-state solution, and why has it remained India’s official diplomatic position even as India deepens its strategic partnership with Israel?

A two-state solution is a diplomatic proposal for Israel and an independent Palestinian state to exist as separate national homes, generally through negotiations over borders, security and other unresolved issues. The article does not use the phrase explicitly. It does describe India’s longstanding support for Palestine and its belief that diplomacy and dialogue should resolve conflicts.

That position can coexist with a strategic partnership because governments often separate diplomatic goals from practical cooperation. India has expanded defense, trade and political ties with Israel while continuing to present negotiation as the path toward resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The article’s description of India’s older policy provides the foundation for that approach.

The tension is becoming more visible. India has become Israel’s largest weapons buyer and allegedly exported weapons during the Gaza war. It also welcomed Smotrich. These steps do not, by themselves, replace India’s official diplomatic position, but they make its commitment to balanced diplomacy harder to demonstrate.

Key Facts:

📌 India welcomed Smotrich with garlands during his September 2025 visit.

📌 Smotrich signed a trade deal in New Delhi.

📌 India’s Israel relationship became more open under Modi.

📌 Smotrich advocated ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in Gaza.

📌 Several countries had already banned Smotrich’s entry.

📌 India welcomed him during Israel’s Gaza war.

📌 Hindutva seeks to transform India into a Hindu nation.