Modi and Netanyahu: A Partnership Fundamentally Damaging Indian Politics
Protestors hold signs in support of Palestine during a protest hosted in New Delhi. Photo courtesy of Flickr.
Against the backdrop of growing global tensions surrounding the Israel-Hamas war, India’s stance on the conflict has garnered considerable attention because of the country's sudden departure from its longstanding foreign policy principles in favor of Palestine. Under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, this shift reflects Modi’s unhealthy hyperfixation on gaining political favor from Western powers rather than a dedication to India’s well-established––and politically successful––reputation as a leading anti-colonial power in its own right. Ultimately, Modi’s strong partnership with Israel is rapidly eroding his political legitimacy among countries in the Global South, which almost universally support Palestine, and has the potential to severely damage the Indian economy in return.
India’s expression of support for Israel last year left many confused considering the country’s long history of solidarity with the Palestinian cause, dating back to 1948 when the Indian anti-colonial movement opposing British colonialism aligned its goals with those of the Palestinians. India’s history is infamously influenced by strong anti-colonial sentiment, sparked by the brutally long British rule over the subcontinent. With over 100 million deaths spanning the 40 years of British occupation, India’s struggle against violent occupation forces is similar to the Palestinian struggle against the persistent Israeli destruction of their homeland. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, in the 76 years of Israeli occupation, over 134,000 Palestinians have been killed and hundreds of thousands more have been forcefully displaced. However, this number is believed to be much higher because of the difficulty of reporting casualties.
Considering both Palestine and India’s shared colonial histories, it comes as no surprise that India was the first non-Arab state to recognize the Palestine Liberation Organization and was one of the few countries to vote against the UN-proposed two-state solution in 1947. The reasoning for this decision can be found in the words of Mahatma Gandhi, the prominent leader of the Indian anti-colonial movement, “Palestine belongs to the Arabs, in the same sense that England belongs to the English and France to the French. It is wrong and inhumane to impose the Jews on the Arabs.” But colonialism wasn’t the only factor involved in India’s support of Palestine; it also came from both nations’ experiences with states founded on religion. At the time, India was especially sour about the 1947 partition of Pakistan, which was motivated by the Indian Muslim population’s desire for greater political representation under a system that they believed to be in accordance with their spiritual beliefs. For Palestine, Israel’s attempt to establish a Jewish nation-state came at the expense of their homeland.
Despite India’s formal recognition of Israel in 1950, diplomatic relations between the two countries were not established until 1992 because of then-Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s fear of retaliation from India’s Arab allies. This monumental change marked the beginning of a codependent relationship between India and Israel, characterized by strong technological and military trade. Since then, Israel has quickly emerged as India’s second-largest arms supplier, trailing only Russia.
India’s support for Israel increased exponentially when Narendra Modi took power as prime minister in 2014. In 2015, India abstained, for the first time, from voting in the UN Human Rights Committee during Israel’s trial for alleged war crimes at the International Criminal Court. This was followed by a 2018 diplomatic trip to Israel, where Modi flaunted closer ties with Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s current prime minister. This visit cemented India’s foreign policy shift to a profit-first approach, bringing more global attention to India’s biggest mistake: its partnership with Israel.
Modi and his political party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), are known to be both power-hungry and extreme Hindu nationalists. During the recent Indian general elections, the BJP, for the first time in almost a decade, lost the majority vote. In response, Modi immediately accused the opposing party of corruption and ran straight to publicly announcing Islamophobic comments. Most notably, Modi accused the Indian National Congress, his main opposition, of attempting to redistribute the country’s wealth to Muslims––which is entirely false. On the global stage, Modi tends to utilize connections with other countries to push his Hindu nationalist agenda. Thus, his alignment with Israel is no surprise considering both India and Israel’s strong Islamophobic rhetoric.
While Modi’s departure from anti-colonial values on the Israel-Palestine genocide is a recent development, his preoccupation with power is not, as demonstrated by India’s stance on the Russia-Ukraine war. India has had a strong relationship with Russia since the Indo-Soviet Treaty of 1971. Similar to its relationship with Israel, this partnership saw Russia emerge as India’s main supplier of armaments. However, at the start of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022, India took a noteworthy step by abstaining from voting in the UN General Assembly. Prime Minister Modi emphasized to Putin that “today’s era is not an era of war.” This decision, however, only came after Western colonial powers, notably the United States, helped India diversify its armament sources and reduce its dependence on Russia. Thus, it is clear that Modi’s allegiance is contingent on who can provide the resources necessary to support his quest for dominance. Had the United States and other Western dominant powers not come in to bribe India away from Russia, there is no doubt that Modi would have continued supporting Putin.
While India’s choice to support Israel in the first place is obviously politically damaging and morally disingenuous based on its past foreign policy approach, Modi’s decision to deepen and publicize these connections is what pushed these consequences over the edge. In early 2023, India assumed the presidency of the G-20, a group of the world’s 20 biggest economies. In taking on this role, Modi declared India to be the leader of the Global South, vowing to represent the voices of the developing world in larger economic decisions. While it has followed up on this promise in various forms, including the installation of the African Union as a permanent member of the G-20, its pro-Israel stance has damaged its credibility in the very countries it purports to represent. This shift quickly became prevalent to Modi; in an attempt to reaffirm its allies, India held a virtual Global South Summit in November 2023, calling for a voice of unity and harmony among the Global South on the Israel-Hamas war. However, many of the member countries had already expressed support for Palestine, putting India at odds with what are supposed to be its closest allies. In regards to humanitarian crises, the Global South strongly upholds anti-colonial values, drawing from both domestic challenges and moral conflicts with the West. India’s decision to support Israel and contradict the values of the countries it claims to lead only serves to undermine its political legitimacy.
This weakness, along with escalating war in the Middle East, puts India’s economic welfare at risk. Should the war persist, India’s economy, alongside the rest of the Global South, will suffer. The World Bank report on commodity prices notes that prolonged conflict would drive up oil prices and inflation rates, exacerbating food insecurity in developing countries. Furthermore, Arab countries have strongly taken a pro-Palestine response, with many such as insisting that relations with countries that support Israel are not as welcomed as they were before. This also comes at a bad time for India, as the country is continuing to deal with mounting climate change issues that carry threatening implications for its economy. India’s decision to support Israel, especially with such economic consequences on the line, demonstrates Modi’s ignorance and inability to correctly govern Indian foreign politics.
In viewing both the economic repercussions of the ongoing conflict and the inherent historical controversies perpetuated by India’s stance, it is clear that Modi’s choice to publicize and deepen ties with Israel is completely irresponsible. This goal, of course, contradicts its role and values as the “leader of the Global South” and reduces its credibility in foreign policy affairs. Considering the minimal consideration of the well-being of the Indian people, the Global South, and, ultimately, the country’s foreign economic and political interests, Modi’s choice to support Israel warrants a critical assessment.
Shanthi Ashok (BC ’27) is a staff writer at CPR studying economics-statistics and human rights.