Passing the Watermelon

Narendra Modi's presence in Israel is being read not just as a bilateral engagement, but as an endorsement of Israeli action in Gaza and the West Bank

- Seema Guha IS A SENIOR JOURNALIST COVERING FOREIGN AFFAIRS

THE optics were unmistakable. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi's special Air India flight touched down on Israeli soil, his counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu was waiting to greet him. His wife, Sara, who accompanied Netanyahu, was appropriately dressed in a saffron suit that matched the saffron pocket square that Modi wore. To make sure that the point was not missed, her husband pointed to the matching colours. The personal chemistry was laid out for all to see with Netanyahu later saying in his welcome address to lawmakers at the Knesset that he was “not just my friend but my brother”.

It is evident that Modi’s second visit to Israel goes much beyond a routine diplomatic trip and is a political and strategic embrace. Modi was the first Indian prime minister to visit Israel in 2017. His trip now is a reaffirmation of a partnership that has grown warmer and more unapologetic with each passing year. The carefully curated images of camaraderie, of handclasps and shared podiums, tell a story of two leaders bound by ideology, security concerns and a shared distrust of political Islam.