Modi’s Israel Visit Faces Rising Global Pressure
Two old friends meet for tea, but the world keeps tugging at their sleeves.
The prime minister’s plane cut through the night sky, carrying not just a man but a message. Somewhere below, the Mediterranean glittered darkly, indifferent to the diplomatic calculus unfolding at 35,000 feet.
In his cabin, Narendra Modi shuffled through briefing papers—defence pacts, labour agreements, the IMEC connectivity project that could reshape trade routes. But between the bullet points and bureaucratic language, he thought about something else: the last time he’d stood with Benjamin Netanyahu, the photos of them walking on the beach, arm in arm, two leaders who seemed more like old friends than heads of state.
That was before October 7. Before Gaza. Before the world’s gaze turned critical and the casualties mounted.
In Tel Aviv, Netanyahu paced his office, glancing at the clock. He’d known Modi for over a decade—the chemistry was real, the warmth genuine. But tonight, he wasn’t just greeting a friend. He was welcoming the first major world leader to visit since the International Criminal Court issued its warrants, since the hexagonal alliance with Gulf states complicated every alliance, since “never again” became a phrase people debated rather than affirmed.
The optics troubled both their teams. A photo of them smiling could be weaponized—by critics of Israel’s West Bank policies, by opponents of the U.S. threats toward Iran, by everyone who saw geopolitical nuance as betrayal.
But optics weren’t the whole story. Somewhere in a dusty construction site near Tel Aviv, a young man from Punjab checked his phone. The prime minister was coming. Maybe this time they’d finally fix the labour agreement that kept his pay delayed. Maybe this time his mother’s calls wouldn’t start with “when are you coming home?”
Friendship is complicated. So is survival. So is the quiet hope that leaders meeting in fancy rooms might somehow make life simpler for everyone else.