De-Hyphenation of Israel-Palestine: How India Navigated West Asian Geopolitics

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday (February 25) landed in Israel on an official two-day state visit. He was welcomed by his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, who received him. As the West Asian geopolitics has recently witnessed a lot of turmoil, the Indian Prime Minister’s visit becomes especially crucial for securing India’s interests.

Taking history into account, India needs to maintain close relations with Israel to counter China’s growing footprint in South Asia. Additionally, India also wants to have a favourable global image as a haven for its Muslim population, for which close ties to Saudi Arabia, seen as a leader of the Muslim world, are important. Thus, India’s foreign policy for West Asia has had to evolve with changing times.

West Asian Geopolitics

The geopolitics of West Asia, also known as the Middle East, is governed mainly by three regional powers—Israel, Iran and Saudi Arabia. All three are hostile against each other on the lines of sectarian differences, the US connection, and the Palestine issue, forming a triangle of conflict.

Iran-Saudi Arabia

Despite being Muslim countries, ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran remain on the fringes due to a sectarian divide. Saudi Arabia is predominantly Sunni, while Iran is a Shia major. Yet, both countries align on the commonality of the Palestine issue.

Iran-Israel

Between Iran and Israel, other than concerns for Palestinians, the US factor takes up centre stage. Iran in the 1950s maintained good relations with the US and Western majors under the dictatorship of its last Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. He was accused of giving away the nation’s natural resources, including oil and natural gas, to the US at concessional rates, which led to his downfall during the Iranian Revolution of 1979.

Since then, Iran’s relations with the US soured, and Israel, a strong US ally and seen as its strategic foothold in the Middle East, became a natural enemy. Recent skirmishes between both sides and Iran’s continued backing of the Axis of Resistance, of which Hamas is a part, have only widened the gap.

Israel-Saudi Arabia

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia, a leader of the Muslim nations in West Asia, cannot turn a blind eye to the civilian killings in Palestine recently. Historically, Israel’s tendency to continuously refute Palestinians’ claim over the former British Mandate of Palestine and build infrastructure to claim more areas for itself, despite a UN resolution to partition the land for separate Jewish and Arab states with Jerusalem as an international city, has been a bone of contention.

The US-brokered Abraham Accords between Israel and other Muslim nations in the region, including the UAE, though not officially signed by Saudi Arabia, have been instrumental in bringing a shift in the West Asian geopolitics. However, good relations with the US did not translate into an open advocacy for Israel due to the Palestinian issue.

India’s West Asia Conundrum

Israel, as a country, came into existence in 1948. Although India recognised Israel in 1950, full diplomatic relations were only established in 1992 under the then Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao. This cautious approach of India in the past has been factored by its support for Palestine and the dynamics of the Cold War. India did not wish to side with the US bloc by openly partnering with Israel to maintain its strategic autonomy. While the Abraham Accords helped India balance its ties with both Saudi Arabia and Israel, the disintegration of the USSR and the end of the Cold War came as an added advantage.

India needs to counter China’s infrastructure push and growing influence in South and West Asia through its Belt and Road Initiative. For this, India’s push for the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor has been complemented by support from both Saudi Arabia and Israel. India also wants to maintain good ties with the Muslim world as a result of domestic political sensitivities.

The Shift

However, since 1992, things have changed, and a growing proximity between India and Israel has come to the fore. Then Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon visited India in 2003 when the then Indian Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, called India and Israel natural allies due to the existential threat of terrorism.

Israel also reportedly supported India during the Kargil War of 1999, supplying critical military equipment and geospatial information. This, in addition to growing cooperation in agriculture, water conservation and counter-terrorism, made it impossible for India to neglect Israel’s importance.

Modi Maxim

Israel Ties

Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi took charge, India moved forward with the approach of de-hyphenation of its Israel-Palestine policy—treating the Palestine issue and Israel ties separately. Prime Minister Modi also became the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Israel in 2017, which he followed up on with his state visit on Wednesday (February 25, 2026).

During his tenure, cooperation between India and Israel has grown on international forums like I2U2 and the India-Middle-East Economic Corridor. Further expansion in cooperation has been witnessed in agriculture, water technology, innovation and cyber security.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's program includes several historic and high-level engagements aimed at deepening the India-Israel Strategic Partnership. On the first day, he became the first Indian Prime Minister to address the Knesset, Israel's parliament, where he received the Speaker of the Knesset Medal and highlighted cooperation in counter-terrorism, AI, and quantum technology. He also visited a technology exhibition in Jerusalem showcasing innovations in agri-tech and water management before attending a private dinner hosted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

On the second day, his itinerary includes a solemn visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial, a meeting with President Isaac Herzog, and the signing of several MoUs covering economic and security cooperation, followed by an interaction with the Indian-Jewish community.

Palestine Stance

On the Palestine front, India’s official stance remains its longstanding, consistent policy to support the negotiated two-state solution. India advocates for the establishment of a sovereign, independent, and viable Palestine, maintaining peace with Israel and growing together within recognised boundaries. India also supported humanitarian aid, dialogue and diplomatic resolution of the matter.

This two-pronged approach seen in India’s foreign policy regarding West Asia has been instrumental in securing its strategic goals, and despite recent disruptions witnessed in the region, in the long-run, India’s interests will be secured, provided an updated and calibrated approach is maintained.

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