India’s relationship with Israel has undergone a dramatic transformation in recent years, particularly since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu majoritarian Bharatiya Janata Party came to power in 2014. The ongoing conflict in Gaza has further accelerated this shift, with New Delhi expanding economic and defense partnerships with Israel even as European nations have imposed sanctions and trade restrictions.
The September 2025 visit by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to India exemplified this deepening engagement. Smotrich, who had been banned from entry to the United Kingdom, France, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Norway due to his advocacy for Palestinian ethnic cleansing, was welcomed in India with garlands and an extensive tour that included trade deals in New Delhi, stock exchange visits in Mumbai, and investment hub visits in Gujarat. This visit occurred while Israel was conducting military operations in Gaza that resulted in significant casualties on the same days Smotrich was in India.
Analysts attribute India’s shift toward Israel partly to how Modi’s government has framed the relationship through its domestic political narrative. The BJP’s ideological roots in Hindutva—a philosophy seeking to establish India as a Hindu nation—align with Zionist concepts of Israel as a Jewish homeland. Modi’s historical emphasis on combating Islamic terrorism and expansion has created domestic political space for closer ties with Israel, particularly following the October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.
India has become Israel’s largest weapons buyer under Modi and has exported weapons to Israel during the Gaza conflict, despite India’s historical advocacy for diplomatic solutions to international disputes. However, India has avoided the concrete measures adopted by several European nations, including trade sanctions against Israeli settlement products and sanctions against Israeli officials. While New Delhi continues to diplomatically support a two-state solution and calls for humanitarian access in Gaza, former Indian diplomat Navdeep Suri noted that close political alignment between the Indian and Israeli governments has created reluctance in New Delhi to adopt stronger principled positions on Israeli actions.
This represents a marked departure from India’s decades-long support for Palestine and its traditional emphasis on dialogue over military solutions. The relationship, once conducted covertly, has become increasingly open and public under Modi’s government, reflecting what analysts describe as genuine convergence between the nations on defense and security matters.
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