India is vital to Israel's strategic architecture

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Israel this week is more than a diplomatic milestone.

- By EMMANUEL NAVON

PRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu and his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, are seen meeting together in 2018. Netanyahu recently underscored India's centrality in Israel's strategy to counter the Iran-led axis and to embed Israel within a broader coalition of capable partners, the writer says. (Adnan Abidi/Reuters)

(Adnan Abidi/Reuters)

It signals a deeper strategic shift: India has become a central pillar of Israel's emerging foreign-policy architecture at a moment when the international order is being reorganized around connectivity, deterrence, and technological capacity rather than formal alliances alone.This reality has been acknowledged at the highest level of Israel's leadership. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently underscored India's centrality in Israel's strategy to counter the Iran-led axis and to embed Israel within a broader coalition of capable partners. Such language reflects a change in doctrine. India is no longer viewed in Jerusalem as a distant but important partner. It is now part of Israel's strategic core.

To understand why, one must look beyond bilateral diplomacy and focus on architecture. Power in the 21st century is increasingly exercised through corridors, supply chains, defense ecosystems, and technological standards. States that design and secure these systems shape outcomes far beyond their immediate regions. Those that merely react to them become dependent.