INDIANS around the world, notably opposition parties and rights groups, were stunned to hear Prime Minister Narendra Modi say in the Knesset: “Israel is the fatherland. India is the motherland”. His statement is a “betrayal of India’s anti-colonial legacy. Modi has done nothing short of providing legitimacy to Israel’s genocidal policies.
In a 2019 report, Al Jazeera reported on how Israel had increasingly suggested that India implement strategies similar to Israel’s approach in the occupied West Bank to manage Jammu and Kashmir. This “Israel model” refers to a combination of high-intensity militarisation, demographic engineering, legal changes to land ownership, and surveillance tactics. India is studying war, not peace.
Israel faces allegations of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide from various international bodies, human rights organisations, and UN experts, particularly regarding actions in Gaza. The premeditated targeting of civilians, sexual violence, torture, and the use of human shields date back to 1948, with intensifications during conflicts in Gaza. The International Court of Justice has charged Israel with genocide in Gaza, while the International Criminal Court has pursued warrants for top officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Hard to imagine that both the prime ministers have views that tally.
India is accused of attempting to alter the Muslim-majority demographics of Kashmir, similar to Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Following the 2019 revocation of Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir, laws were changed to allow non-locals to purchase land. There have been discussions among Indian officials regarding creating secure, segregated “townships” for Hindu residents, echoing strategies used in the West Bank.
A Ministry of External Affairs note that Prime Minister Modi’s ongoing visit to Israel – his second visit to the country following his 2017 trip – comes during a period of high regional tension in the Middle East, aimed at solidifying a deep strategic, technological, and defence partnership.
The primary focus is bolstering security cooperation, with reports indicating potential deals for drones, missile technology (including potential Iron Dome integration), and six mid-air refuelling aircraft for the Indian Air Force.
The visit also aims to finalise a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and strengthen cooperation in AI, cybersecurity, water management, and agriculture, building on a new Bilateral Investment Treaty signed in 2025.
Netanyahu will use the visit to demonstrate that Israel retains strong international partners, particularly highlighting the “Axis of Nations” committed to stability against threats, following the October 2023 war.
While supporting Israel, India is sneaking in a policy that permits its relationship with Israel, independently of its ties with Arab nations and Iran, while navigating increased US-Iran tensions. This tactic of geopolitical balancing may bring woes to India’s status. In early 2026, there are reports of a quiet, deepening rapprochement between Russia and Pakistan, focusing on energy security, trade, and regional stability rather than India. There are negotiations for joint gas field exploration, a potential 2026 Karachi steel mill project, and increased agricultural and transport cooperation to bypass Western sanctions.
Russia and Pakistan are exploring joint gas exploration projects, with Caspian Post reporting that a Russian delegation visited Pakistan recently. They are also discussing a $1 billion trade deal and a Karachi-Lahore gas pipeline. Ties are expanding, with a renewed focus on anti-terrorism, counter-narcotics, and security dialogues.
The International Journal of Political Science notes that as of early 2026, Prime Minister Narendra “Modi’s foreign policy has faced significant challenges in balancing a strengthened partnership with the United States under President (Donald) Trump, while simultaneously steering the expanding BRICS bloc (now 11 members) as chair”. This “dual contact” approach has necessitated a high-wire balancing act, particularly amid US pressure on India to reduce reliance on Russia and mitigate the impact of US tariffs on Indian goods.
According to studies, Prime Minister Modi’s approach in 2026 is attempting to bridge the gap between Western interests and the Global South, using India’s BRICS leadership to ensure the forum serves developmental goals rather than solely geopolitical confrontation, while simultaneously securing technology and trade deals with the US. This will be a tough balancing act because BRICS has adopted a tough stance on the Gaza genocide. BRICS has “condemned any kind of individual or mass forcible transfer and deportation of Palestinians from their own land”. (Al Jazeera). The group “reiterated that the forced transfer and deportation of Palestinians, whether inside Gaza or to neighbouring countries, constitute grave breaches of the Geneva conventions and war crimes and violations under International Humanitarian Law.”
A Hindustan Times report suggests that India manages a delicate, long-term strategic cord with Russia by balancing deep-rooted defence (of inventory) and energy ties with its growing partnership with the West. This is handled through non-aligned, pragmatic diplomacy, refusing to condemn Russia’s Ukraine actions, while leveraging economic, technological, and maritime cooperation (e.g., Arctic, defence manufacturing).
India is upgrading its military-technical cooperation with Russia from a buyer-seller model to joint development and production under the “Make in India” initiative. The recent Reciprocal Exchange of Logistics Support RELOS pact offers India access to Russian military logistics and bases, crucial for maintaining its inventory of tanks, aircraft, and ships. The RELOS agreement is a bilateral military logistics pact between India and Russia, officially approved by Russia in early 2026, which allows their armed forces to access each other’s military facilities for refuelling, supplies, repairs, and berthing. It strengthens India–Russia defence cooperation and extends strategic reach from the Indo-Pacific to the Arctic.
India has continued purchasing Russian oil, providing a vital source of revenue for Moscow while securing discounted energy for itself, thereby balancing its economic interests. Further, India refuses to join Western sanctions, maintaining a neutral stance at the UN and relying on a policy of multi-alignment to act in its national interest.
The visit is set to advance multi-billion-dollar arms deals, including potential procurement of mid-air refuelling aircraft and intensified co-production of drone/missile technologies to strengthen India’s defence capabilities. Collaboration in Artificial Intelligence, quantum computing, cybersecurity, and space technologies to enhance India’s digital and security infrastructure will be high on the agenda.
India has generally avoided directly naming Israel in, or abstaining from, votes accusing it of “genocide” or war crimes, instead focusing on “illegal occupation” and “humanitarian crises”.
After a fair bit of abstention voting, India voted in favour of a UN General Assembly resolution for a ceasefire in February 2026, signalling a desire to align with global, especially Arab, sentiment while maintaining its “de-hyphenated” (treating Israel and Palestine separately) policy.
India’s stance on Israel-Palestine has shifted from historical, anti-colonial solidarity with Palestine toward a “de-hyphenated,” strategic, and pragmatic approach. While officially advocating a two-state solution, India’s deepening defence and economic partnership with Israel, coupled with a muted response to conflicts, has drawn criticism for prioritising interests over principled, moral alignment.
Israel faces scrutiny globally with unabashed attempts to annex the West Bank. India seems to be aligned with Israel’s formulas for war and territorial expansion and stealth. The two-state solution is Israel’s colonial-apartheid plan and an unabashed attempt to annex the West Bank. Yet, reality is that the two-state solution is “dead in the water”.
India must intersect with those who envision a serious, yet painstaking one-state solution which proposes creating a single, democratic state encompassing Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza, where all residents (both Israelis and Palestinians) share equal rights. It rejects the idea of separating Israelis and Palestinians into two distinct nations, advocating for a shared future, often framed as a binational or federal state. All inhabitants between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River would possess the same rights, regardless of ethnicity or religion. This is a conscientious and will call for generous minds.
India now stands at a crossroads. Prime Minister Modi’s remarks in Tel Aviv may have offered symbolic comfort to Israel’s wartime leadership, but they have come at the cost of India’s own historic commitment to justice, self-determination, and international law.
If India is to remain credible on the world stage, it must boldly reject the machinery of occupation, reject the racist-colonial-apartheid state of Israel. India cannot have it both ways. It must unequivocally demand an end to the occupation, and reaffirm the values that once made it a voice of conscience in global affairs.
When Modi invokes Israel as a “fatherland” and India as a “motherland,” he collapses two distinct histories into a civilisational slogan that privileges religious nationalism over constitutional citizenship. The analogy romanticises the ethno-religious idea of the state associated with Israel while sidestepping India’s secular, plural foundations. India is not bound by blood or faith, but by a constitution that rejects such civilisational hierarchies.
___________
Ranjan Solomon is a writer, researcher and activist based in Goa. He has worked in social movements since he was 19 years of age. The views expressed here are the author’s own and Clarion India does not necessarily share or subscribe to them. He can be contacted at ranjan.solomon@gmail.com
