As diplomatic winds shift and geopolitical alliances rearrange themselves, two countries once seen as peripheral partners are now forging one of the most consequential relationships of the decade. India and Israel — both navigating complex regional pressures — have quietly deepened their cooperation, sealing multi-billion-euro agreements that span defense, technology, agriculture, and more. While parts of the West distance themselves from Tel Aviv, New Delhi is moving in the opposite direction.
A Surge of Strategic Defense Deals
In the span of just a few weeks, India has signed a wave of major military contracts with Israel. The list is staggering: assault rifles worth more than €3 billion, aerial refueling aircraft approaching €900 million, and additional missiles and rocket systems topping €4 billion.
For Prime Minister Narendra Modi, these purchases address two priorities that have shaped his security doctrine: maintaining a strategic edge against Pakistan and reinforcing his Make in India initiative. Under this policy, foreign partners are required to manufacture significant portions of equipment on Indian soil — something Israeli companies have embraced without hesitation, launching subsidiaries and shifting production into the country.
The result? Israel has emerged as one of India’s primary arms suppliers, occupying a space once reserved almost exclusively for Russia.
A Lifeline for Israel’s Defense Industry
While India gains military strength and industrial growth, Israel gains something equally crucial: a reliable customer at a time when its access to several Western markets has narrowed.
Since the conflict in Gaza, Israel has faced diplomatic strain with parts of Europe and North America. In contrast, India has become an increasingly important financial anchor, now accounting for roughly one-third of Israel’s weapons exports, according to various defense-trade assessments. For Israeli defense firms — heavily invested in high-tech research — this revenue stream is more than convenient: it’s survival fuel.
For Tel Aviv, these deals represent not just business, but strategic breathing room.
Cooperation Expanding Beyond the Battlefield
What began as a defense-heavy relationship is now broadening into a multifaceted partnership. Bilateral trade surpassed $6.5 billion in 2024 — nearly quadruple the figure from a decade earlier.
The two governments recently committed to tripling this volume by 2030, an ambitious goal built on remarkably complementary strengths. India, home to 1.4 billion people, needs agricultural innovation and water-management expertise to secure its food supply. Israel, a global leader in irrigation, desalination, and precision farming, has exactly the know-how New Delhi wants.
The partnership is evolving into a kind of “economic symbiosis,” touching sectors from cybersecurity to clean energy.
A Diplomatic Break with the Western Consensus
At a moment when many European states have suspended cooperation with Israel or increased pressure over Gaza, India is charting its own course. Modi has repeatedly welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with full honors, brushing aside criticism from Western capitals and human rights groups.
This shift aligns with India’s broader pursuit of diplomatic autonomy — a foreign policy that avoids choosing sides and instead maximizes strategic opportunity.
An Ideological Alignment Taking Shape
Perhaps the most striking evolution is ideological. India, once a steadfast supporter of the Palestinian cause under leaders like Nehru, has moved closer to Israel’s stance in recent years. The governing Hindu nationalist movement has openly cited Israel’s security doctrine as a model for dealing with extremist threats.
Online, hashtags such as #HindusWithIsrael reflect a cultural and political proximity that extends beyond traditional diplomacy. Both nations, after all, are majority-religious states grappling with large Muslim minorities — a parallel that has not gone unnoticed by political strategists.
A Discreet Partnership with Global Implications
What we are witnessing is more than a string of contracts. It is a long-term, quietly negotiated alignment between two powers reshaping their roles on the international stage.
If current trends continue, India and Israel may become one of the defining strategic partnerships of the decade — not loud, not flashy, but built on pragmatism, mutual benefit, and a shared vision of security and technological advancement.
As the geopolitical order shifts, both nations appear determined to write their next chapters together.
