‘Boost for Netanyahu, alignment with Israel, flattery’: What foreign media saw in Modi’s Israel visit

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi walked into the Knesset this week, the building lit in the colours of the Indian tricolour and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailing him as “more than a friend”, much of the Indian coverage focused on optics — the hugs, the symbolism, the reaffirmation of defence and trade ties.

But beyond the choreographed warmth in Jerusalem, the foreign press told a far more layered story.

In Israel itself, there was a mild contrast between pro-government and media outlets with a degree of editorial freedom. Jerusalem Post led with “Namaste Modi” while Haaretz pointed to the real reason behind the visit in a story headlined “the multibillion-dollar arms deal driving India’s Modi’s visit to Israel”. As Modi addressed lawmakers, sections of Israel’s opposition boycotted the speech, protesting the government’s exclusion of the Supreme Court chief justice — a reminder that he was stepping into a country roiled by internal political strife and global criticism over Gaza.

“Modi’s visit is the moment to treat India as a top-tier strategic priority. The relationship has trust, history, and political chemistry … Now they must scale up,” the Jerusalem Post wrote in an editorial on the front page. 

The visit was front-page news on the second day too, where a front page analysis by Jerusalem Post said there was “no wavering: Modi aligns India with Israel”.

Among prominent Arab media outlets, UAE-based Khaleej Times mostly republished agency reports on Modi’s remarks in Israel. Saudi outlet Arab News published several reports, one of which noted that “New Delhi has largely remained quiet since Israel launched its assault on Gaza in October 2023. The war in the Palestinian enclave has killed more than 71,000 Palestinians and injured over 171,000 others”.

A report in independent outlet Middle East Eye pointed out how Modi “flattered” Netanyahu. “At the Knesset, Modi was greeted by children waving Israeli and Indian flags. Some asked for selfies. The Israeli press, too, leaned into the spectacle, with The Jerusalem Post carrying a prominent front-page spread dedicated to his visit.” 

“The night before, the Knesset itself was illuminated in the colours of the Indian tricolour, a gesture Modi expressed appreciation for during his speech. Prior to Modi’s speech, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the Knesset, in which he described Modi as ‘my brother’.

Qatar-headquartered Al Jazeera published several pieces on the Modi visit, including explainers on growing India-Israel ties despite the situation in Gaza, how India “embraced” the Israel model, reports on Modi’s visit, and a piece on why Modi’s visit matters for Pakistan’s security, quoting security and foreign affairs experts. It was in light of Netanyahu’s remarks about the proposed “hexagon of alliances” against the “radical Shia axis” and the “emerging Sunni axis”.

“In a region where Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been among Israel’s most outspoken critics, and where Saudi Arabia and Pakistan formalised a Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement in September 2025 – all three Sunni-majority nations – the outline of what Tel Aviv may view as this “axis” is not difficult to discern. Against that backdrop, India’s deepening alignment with Israel directly impacts – and could reshape – Islamabad’s strategic calculus in an already volatile region, say analysts,” read the piece.

The media space in Iran, which has shared ties in several areas with India, was replete with concerns around a speculated upcoming war with the US.

Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi urged India to raise the issue of Palestinian rights during Modi’s visit. In an interview with India Today, Araghchi expressed disappointment at India’s decision not to allocate any funds this year for Iran’s Chabahar port project.

Iranian Press TV noted that “since taking office in 2014, Modi has overseen a deepening of India’s ties with the Israeli regime, gradually moving away from the country’s historic support for the Palestinian struggle for independence. Today, Delhi, once among the nations opposing the regime’s starting to claim existence in 1948, has become the entity’s largest buyer of arms.”

The hardline outlet Kayhan stated that ​​the “personal rapport between Modi and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has become emblematic of a dramatic shift in India’s foreign policy – one that risks undermining New Delhi’s historical support for Palestinian rights and its moral standing in the Global South. When Modi first landed at Ben Gurion Airport in July 2017, he was welcomed by Netanyahu with warm embraces and grand rhetoric about dismantling remaining barriers between New Delhi and Tel Aviv.”

A piece by state-run Tehran Times on the Israeli response to global isolation made no mention of the Modi visit.

Meanwhile, a scathing opinion piece in Middle East Monitor argued that India’s hyphenated ties with Israel betray its past stand for decolonisation.

“The relationship has actually been accused of facilitating a climate where supporting Palestinian rights is portrayed as anti-Indian or pro-Hamas and, somehow rooted in the rise of Islamophobia. There are geopolitical contradictions within this relationship because, despite the close ties, India still faces a balancing act, needing to maintain relationships with Arab nations and Iran, which conflict with Israeli interests. Hence, the see-saw act in the United Nations where India’s vote swings from being pro-Israel to pro-Palestine. It is actually hard to locate the pivot that defines India’s policy on West Asia.”

In Turkey, the state-run Anadolu Agency mentioned that defense cooperation is expected to dominate discussions, reflecting Israel’s role as a key supplier of advanced military technology to India. India accounted for 34 percent of Israeli defense exports between 2020 and 2024, according to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, noted one report.

It quoted former Israeli diplomat Alon Liel who emphasised that Israel has “lost a lot of its international standing”, including setbacks in relations with Western allies and recognition of Palestine by several countries. “Since Israel is quite isolated now … this can be presented by Netanyahu as a big diplomatic achievement,” he told the agency.

A BBC report pointed to the political opposition in Israel and India during the visit. “While Modi will praise India-Israel relationship, he will also be mindful of not disturbing India’s long-standing relations with those partners in the Middle East who are critical of Israel.”

An analytical piece in American outlet Foreign Policy said, “India’s pro-Israel stand could also complicate its high-priority efforts to project itself as a champion of the global south. Many of these countries, especially those in the Muslim world, have condemned Israel in the harshest terms for its war conduct in Gaza. However, such considerations won’t deter Modi. New Delhi tends not to pull back from its closest friends, and Israel — which threw its full support behind India during its conflict with Pakistan last year — is firmly entrenched in that friend zone. Furthermore, India’s geopolitical interests dictate the need for deep partnership with Israel.”

Washington Post carried an AFP report on the visit. “Netanyahu referred to himself and Modi as ‘personal friends’ when he announced the visit earlier this week and the visit is likely to give Israel a boost of international support after seeing relations with many of its allies deteriorate since the war in Gaza began in October 2023.”

Bloomberg noted that “Modi is expected to finalize a major order for Israeli-made missile systems as part of the visit, according to an official in New Delhi familiar with the matter, asking not to be identified because the discussions are private. Specifics of the deal are unlikely to be publicly released, though, as both sides keep the focus of the trip on their broader ties, officials said. India’s Ministry of External Affairs didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the order.”

A Financial Times report underlined that Trump was “pushing India to hedge its geopolitical bets”. 

“The Modi government’s effort ranges from co-operating with Japan on supply chain risks, to working with Israel on drone production and water-related technologies, to clinching critical mineral deals in Latin America and stepping up maritime co-operation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.”

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