The Inside Story Podcast What's driving Israel's relationship with India?
Feb 25, 2026
Siddharth Varadarajan, investigative journalist focused on Indian policy and surveillance. Andreas Krieg, security studies scholar on defence and strategic ties. Alon Liel, former Israeli foreign ministry director with diplomatic expertise. They discuss Modi's visit, defence and tech cooperation, surveillance and Pegasus, shifting Indian stances on Palestine, and whether India could join a new regional axis.
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Personal Ties Transformed India Israel Relations
- India's Modi-Israel warmth is driven by recent personal ties between Narendra Modi and Benjamin Netanyahu.
- The political embrace accelerated since Modi's first visit and marks a sharp shift from India's earlier pro-Palestinian stance.
Ideological Affinity Without Full Strategic Alignment
- Modi and Netanyahu share populist, right-leaning tendencies and a securitised view of Islam, which creates ideological affinity.
- Despite ideological overlap, India remains pragmatic and resists being pulled into Israel's zero-sum regional strategy.
India Shifted From Pro Palestinian Stance To Embrace Israel
- India historically supported Palestinian rights and delayed full diplomatic ties until 1993 after consulting Yasser Arafat.
- The current closeness to Israel represents a recent policy reversal tied to Modi's government.