"As Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi emerged from his plane at Ben Gurion airport outside Tel Aviv on July 4, 2017, his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, waited for him at the other end of the red carpet laid out on the tarmac. Minutes later, the leaders hugged. Speaking at the airport, Modi said his visit was a path-breaking journey it was the first time an Indian prime minister had visited Israel."
"Modi has frequently described Netanyahu as a dear friend, despite the International Criminal Court having issued an arrest warrant in late 2024 for the Israeli premier over alleged war crimes carried out during Israel's genocidal war on Gaza. Indian diplomats and officials have justified the country's pivot towards Israel as a pragmatic approach Israel, with its tech and military expertise, has too much to offer to be ignored, they argue balanced by efforts from New Delhi to strengthen ties with its Arab allies."
"Yet, it has come at a cost, analysts say: to Palestine, and India's relationship with it, and, according to some experts, to India's moral credibility. The so-called realist turn of India has cost its moral power, which it used to enjoy in the Global South, said Anwar Alam, a senior fellow with the Policy Perspectives Foundation think tank in New Delhi."
Modi's 2017 visit to Israel marked the first time an Indian prime minister visited the country and initiated a very public relationship with Netanyahu. By his second visit, ties have become one of New Delhi's most visible friendships. Modi often praises Netanyahu despite an ICC arrest warrant issued in late 2024 over alleged war crimes during Israel's war on Gaza. Indian officials justify the pivot as pragmatic, citing Israel's tech and military expertise while seeking to balance ties with Arab allies. The shift has strained India's relationship with Palestine and eroded aspects of its moral standing in the Global South.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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