At a time when there are increasing signs of divergence between Washington and Tel Aviv over a number of regional issues, attention is turning to the growing relationship between Israel and India, which observers describe as one of the most established strategic partnerships in recent years, amid growing talk about New Delhi becoming a primary partner for Israel at a stage characterized by changing international balances of power.
According to a report by journalist Eli Leon, in the Israeli newspaper “Maariv”, based on an extensive investigation published by the newspaper “Financial Times”, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the first international leader to take the initiative to contact Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following the attack on October 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people in Israel, ahead of the leaders of the United States, France, and Britain.
The report indicates that Modi’s position was not fleeting, but rather reflects the depth of the relationship that developed between him and Netanyahu over a period of 12 years, and was based on a common vision based on combating what both parties describe as “Islamic terrorism” and adopting similar nationalist approaches in managing state affairs.
According to the report, critics of the two leaders believe that they share similar characteristics related to the decline in the independence of democratic institutions and extremism towards minorities, but this has not prevented the emergence of a wide cooperation network between the two countries that includes the intelligence, security, technological, military and economic fields.
Today, India is one of the largest importers of Israeli weapons and military technology, to the point that one of the researchers at the Indian Observer Research Foundation likened Israel to the Indian army as a “huge Walmart store equipped with weapons,” providing advanced systems without the political restrictions imposed by other Western countries.
Economic cooperation is also highlighted through the group of Indian businessman Gautam Adani, who bought the port of Haifa for $1.2 billion, and participates in joint projects with Israeli military industries, including the manufacture of “Hermes” drones and “Harop” mobile munitions.
The report adds that Israeli officers frequently visit the headquarters of the Indian army, while the intelligence services, led by the Mossad, maintain a high level of coordination and cooperation with their Indian counterparts.
This relationship gains additional importance in light of what the report describes as the increasing international isolation that Israel faces. While Netanyahu faces arrest warrants from the International Criminal Court in The Hague, and faces mounting criticism from US President Donald Trump, the picture looks very different in India.
The report indicates that Modi was the last leader to visit Israel before the Israeli strike on Iran in late February, and after the operation he contented himself with calling for “calm” without directing any condemnation of Israel.
The report quoted the Israeli Ambassador to India, Reuven Azer, as saying that Netanyahu and Modi chose to adhere to national identity at a time when the world was moving towards more global approaches, considering that a large part of Indian public opinion views Israel as confronting “radical Islam” with courage, which enhances the popular rapprochement between the two sides.
The roots of this relationship go back to the Kargil War in 1999, when Israel supplied India with weapons and ammunition at a time when Western powers refrained from providing support due to Indian nuclear tests. Since then, the relationship has transformed, especially during the Modi era, from limited cooperation to a declared alliance.
The report provides an example of the depth of this partnership through the case of the arrest of 8 Indian Navy officers in Qatar during August 2022 on charges of spying for Israel on the Qatari submarine program. They were sentenced to death before being later released after India signed a massive 20-year gas deal with Doha.
The influence of bilateral relations also extended to the cultural field, as a successful Bollywood film entitled “Durandhar” inspired some of its elements from the famous Israeli series “Fauda,” while representatives of the work met the Indian Prime Minister during one of his visits.
Despite this rapprochement, Modi’s policy faces domestic criticism. A number of pillars of the traditional Indian political establishment oppose moving away from the Palestinian issue and harming relations with Iran.
In this context, Sonia Gandhi, one of the most prominent leaders of the opposition Congress Party, accused the Indian Prime Minister of “moral cowardice” and abandoning humanitarian principles as a result of his unconditional support for Israel, pointing to New Delhi’s silence even after the assassination of the Iranian leader this year.
However, the experts who spoke to the Financial Times agree that the Israeli-Indian partnership has become deeper than being linked to the personalities of Modi and Netanyahu alone, and that it has become based on long-term strategic interests that make it likely to continue regardless of the upcoming political changes.
In a world witnessing rapid transformations in international alliances, India appears to Israel as more than just an economic or military partner, but rather a strategic pillar on which Tel Aviv is betting in the face of a period in which pressures and challenges are increasing.
