What Happened
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the Knesset (Israel's parliament) on February 25, 2026 — the first Indian Prime Minister to do so — during a two-day state visit to Israel.
- Modi condemned the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel as "barbaric," stating: "We feel your pain, we stand with Israel." He categorically declared: "No cause can justify the murder of civilians. Nothing can justify terrorism."
- He received a standing ovation from Knesset members following the address.
- Modi invoked the longstanding frameworks of India-Israel cooperation including the I2U2 grouping (India-Israel-UAE-USA) and the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), calling for "new momentum" in both.
- He backed the US-backed Gaza peace plan proposed by President Trump, calling it a plan that "holds the promise of a just and durable peace for all the people in the region, including by addressing the Palestine issue."
- Modi reiterated India's formal position supporting a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, though without elaborating on humanitarian conditions in Gaza.
- Israeli opposition members walked out during addresses by PM Netanyahu and Knesset Speaker over a domestic judicial dispute, but they did not boycott Modi's speech itself.
- The visit came nine years after Modi's first Israel visit in 2017, which was itself the first-ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Israel.
Static Topic Bridges
India-Israel Bilateral Relations: History and Evolution
India's relationship with Israel has undergone a fundamental transformation over seven decades. At the time of Israel's establishment in 1948, India under Jawaharlal Nehru opposed its creation, reflecting solidarity with the Arab world and newly decolonized nations. India recognized Israel's sovereignty in 1950 but delayed full diplomatic relations for over four decades.
Full diplomatic ties were established on January 29, 1992, under PM P.V. Narasimha Rao, influenced partly by the changing post-Cold War strategic environment. Even after normalization, India maintained a careful balancing act — deepening strategic and defence ties with Israel while officially supporting Palestinian statehood.
The shift accelerated under PM Modi. The 2017 visit — the first by any Indian Prime Minister to Israel — marked a new phase of open strategic partnership. Israel developed a hybrid rose and named it "MODI" during the 2017 visit as a symbol of the growing relationship.
- 1948: India opposes Israel's UN membership; votes against
- 1950: India recognizes Israel's sovereignty
- 1975: India recognizes PLO as sole legitimate representative of Palestinian people
- 1988: India is among the first non-Arab states to recognize Palestinian statehood
- 1992: Full diplomatic relations established
- 2017: Modi's first visit to Israel — no Indian PM had visited before
- 2026: Modi addresses Knesset — first Indian PM to do so; ties elevated to Special Strategic Partnership
Connection to this news: Modi's Knesset address represents the deepest public alignment yet between India and Israel. The speech's explicit condemnation of October 7 and endorsement of Israel's right to self-defence against terrorism signals a shift from India's historically neutral posture toward a more openly expressed strategic partnership.
India's Position on Terrorism and Strategic Autonomy
India's foreign policy has long rested on the principle of strategic autonomy — maintaining independent positions on global conflicts rather than aligning with any single bloc. In the context of terrorism, India has consistently argued for a zero-tolerance global framework, given its own experience with cross-border terrorism, particularly from Pakistan.
Modi's Knesset remarks — that "no cause justifies terrorism" — directly mirror India's longstanding position at multilateral forums like the UN, where India has repeatedly pushed for a Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT). India defines terrorism in absolute terms, rejecting any distinction between "good" and "bad" terrorists.
- India has been pushing for the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) at the UN since 1996
- India's position: terrorism cannot be justified by political, philosophical, ideological, racial, ethnic, religious or other reasons
- India itself is a victim of state-sponsored terrorism — context in which Modi's language at the Knesset carries domestic resonance
- India maintains "strategic autonomy" — does not formally join military alliances, but builds bilateral partnerships on shared interests
Connection to this news: Modi's unequivocal condemnation of October 7 at the Knesset is consistent with India's long-standing zero-tolerance stance on terrorism, even as it creates diplomatic friction with Arab nations and Muslim-majority countries that view the conflict through the lens of Palestinian self-determination. The statement is both a genuine foreign policy signal and a reinforcement of India's bilateral defence partnership with Israel.
I2U2 Grouping and India's West Asia Strategy
The I2U2 grouping — comprising India, Israel, UAE, and the United States — was formally launched at a virtual summit on July 14, 2022. Analysts have described it as the "West Asian Quad," drawing a parallel with the Indo-Pacific Quad (India, USA, Japan, Australia).
I2U2 focuses on joint investment in food security, clean energy, and emerging technology. It represents India's effort to build multi-vector partnerships in West Asia, engaging simultaneously with Arab states (UAE) and Israel without forcing a binary choice. The grouping also reflects the post-Abraham Accords diplomatic landscape, in which Israel's normalization with Gulf states opened new opportunities for regional connectivity frameworks.
- I2U2 launched: July 2022
- Members: India, Israel, UAE, United States
- Focus areas: food security, clean energy, water, technology, infrastructure
- Conceptual parallel: called the "West Asian Quad"
- IMEC (India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor) was announced at the G20 New Delhi Summit in September 2023 and is closely associated with the I2U2 framework
- IMEC route: India → UAE → Saudi Arabia → Jordan → Israel → Europe, combining rail and shipping infrastructure
Connection to this news: Modi's specific invocation of both I2U2 and IMEC in his Knesset address signals that India views Israel as integral to its regional connectivity strategy in West Asia. The IMEC corridor requires Israeli ports as a terminal node into Europe, making India-Israel political ties a prerequisite for the corridor's viability.
The Non-Aligned Movement and India's Evolving Foreign Policy Doctrine
India was a founding pillar of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), established in 1961 in Belgrade under the leadership of Nehru, Egypt's Nasser, and Yugoslavia's Tito. NAM was premised on refusing to align with either the US-led Western bloc or the Soviet-led Eastern bloc during the Cold War. India's strong support for Palestinian statehood was part of this broader anti-colonial framework — solidarity with peoples under occupation.
Post-Cold War, India's foreign policy shifted. The 1991 balance of payments crisis accelerated economic liberalization and a reorientation toward the United States. By the 2000s, India began engaging Israel openly on defence while simultaneously deepening ties with Gulf states, Iran, and Arab nations.
Under the current dispensation, India's foreign policy is increasingly described as "multi-alignment" — building partnerships with multiple powers based on specific interests — rather than the ideological neutralism of the original NAM.
- NAM founded: 1961, Belgrade; India was a founding member
- India recognized Palestine: 1988 (among first non-Arab nations)
- India was the first non-Arab country to recognize PLO as sole legitimate representative of Palestinian people (1975)
- Post-1991 shift: economic liberalization → pragmatic foreign policy
- Current doctrine: "multi-alignment" — bilateral partnerships based on interest, not ideology
- India maintains two-state solution as official position but has not allowed it to constrain Israel ties
Connection to this news: Modi's Knesset speech and the deepening India-Israel partnership represent the clearest expression yet of India's departure from the NAM-era framework of principled neutrality on the Israel-Palestine question. The visit will be a recurring reference point in GS2 questions on India's foreign policy evolution and its West Asia policy.
Key Facts & Data
- Modi became the first Indian PM to address the Knesset (Israel's parliament) — February 25, 2026
- October 7, 2023: Hamas-led attack on Israel killed approximately 1,200 Israelis; triggered ongoing military conflict in Gaza
- India and Israel established full diplomatic relations: January 29, 1992
- India is Israel's largest arms customer: accounted for 34% of Israeli arms exports (2020-2024)
- Total Israeli defence sales to India (2020-2024): approximately $20.5 billion
- Israel's share of India's total arms imports (2020-2024): approximately 13% (behind Russia at 36% and France at 33%)
- 2024 bilateral trade (India-Israel): approximately $3.75 billion
- I2U2 grouping launched: July 14, 2022
- IMEC announced: September 9, 2023 (G20 New Delhi Summit)
- India's first PM visit to Israel: 2017 (Modi); prior to that, no Indian PM had visited
- India recognized Palestinian statehood: November 18, 1988