Narendra Modi is heading to Israel this week for what should be a routine diplomatic visit. Except nothing about this moment is routine. India’s prime minister is walking into a region that’s literally on fire, and the timing alone tells you something about how much has changed in New Delhi’s foreign policy calculations.
Let’s rewind for a second. India used to be the Palestinian cause’s biggest champion in Asia. Back in 1983, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was on record calling Palestinians “brave, homeless and much harassed.” That wasn’t just political rhetoric. It was the foundation of India’s entire foreign policy in the Middle East. India stood with the Global South, with the colonized, with the underdog.
Then something shifted.
The Hindu Nationalist Pivot
When Modi’s BJP party took over a decade ago, they didn’t just change a few policies. They fundamentally rewired India’s approach to the Middle East. Netanyahu and Modi became buddies. And I mean actual buddies, the kind who roll up their cuffs and walk on beaches together. That 2017 visit? Pure theater. But it worked.
Now Modi’s heading back for the second time, and analysts are falling over themselves to explain what this “really” means. The defense angle is obvious. India needs weapons systems that can integrate with its existing tech infrastructure, which comes from about fifteen different countries because India has always been strategic about not putting all its eggs in one basket.
But there’s more happening here than just military shopping.
When Necessity Trumps History
The India-Pakistan clash last May was brutal. It was the kind of moment that forces a government to stop thinking about principles and start thinking about survival. China was arming Pakistan. The threat wasn’t theoretical anymore. It was real, immediate, and pressing.
So what does India do? It looks for partners who can help. Israel isn’t just another country in this equation. Israel has technology, defensive capabilities, and most importantly, a strategic interest in maintaining India as a strong counterweight to regional powers. It’s the kind of partnership that makes sense when you’re playing 4D chess on a continent where everyone else is playing checkers.
The timing though? That’s where things get genuinely weird.
The Elephant in the Room
The U.S. military is prepping potential strikes on Iran. Tensions are at a level that would make any risk-averse government think twice before making major public diplomatic moves. Except Modi’s government is doing it anyway. Nicolas Blarel from Leiden University actually expressed surprise at this. A normally careful government, willing to commit at a moment like this?
That tells you something about how seriously New Delhi is taking this partnership.
There’s also the small matter of Israeli opposition lawmakers threatening to boycott Modi’s Knesset address. Netanyahu’s got his own domestic issues, and now here comes this Indian delegation adding another layer of complexity. Though Blarel makes a smart point: that boycott might actually be the perfect cover story if Modi needs to adjust his plans on the fly.
The Uncomfortable Truth
What’s really happening here is that India has decided history is less important than geopolitics. The same country that once championed Palestinians is now embracing their occupier because the math just works out that way. It’s not cynical exactly, but it’s not idealistic either.
This is what great power politics looks like in the 2020s. No more grand narratives about solidarity with the Global South. No more principled stands that cost you militarily. Just cold calculations about who can help you survive the next decade when your neighbors are armed to the teeth.
The question isn’t really whether Modi will have a successful visit. He probably will. The question is whether we’re witnessing the complete dissolution of what used to be called the Non-Aligned Movement, or if this is just a particularly ugly chapter in a longer story that’ll eventually find its way back to some version of principle.
History suggests the answer, and it’s probably not comforting.
