Narendra Modi’s visit to Israel last week, days before the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran, included a parade, airport pageantry and a Knesset address. This was a public message as much as diplomatic engagement, and in West Asia, visibility equals policy.
India’s full embrace of Israel under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu went far beyond diplomatic courtesy. This is alignment. It is choosing sides.
Until recently, India liked to say it could do business with everyone. Israel for security and technology. The Gulf for energy and trade. Iran for connectivity.
Modi’s Knesset speech, framed around solidarity with Israel after the October 2023 terror attack and deeper defense cooperation, makes that balance much harder to sell in Tehran or on Arab streets. One day after the Israel-U.S. attack on Iran, Modi posted on X that he had spoken by phone with Netanyahu. He said nothing about reaching out to Iran.