PM Modi tells MPs in Jerusalem that India stands with Israel ‘firmly with full conviction’

Key Insight

Modi’s Knesset address underscores India’s strategic‑autonomy stance on Israel‑Hamas conflict

Key Facts

1. Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed Indian MPs in the Knesset on 10 April 2026, expressing India's stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict.
2. Modi conveyed India's deepest condolences for the lives lost in the Hamas terrorist attack on 7 October (year not specified).
3. He reaffirmed that India stands with Israel "firmly with full conviction" and supports Israel's right to self‑defence.
4. The statement aligns with the 2020 India‑Israel Defence Cooperation Agreement and the 2022 Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
5. India continues to supply defence equipment such as UAVs and missile systems to Israel while maintaining strategic ties with Gulf states.
6. The diplomatic move underscores India's policy of strategic autonomy—balancing security cooperation with Israel and energy‑security interests in the Arab world.

Background

India's response to the Oct 7 Hamas attack reflects its broader foreign‑policy doctrine of strategic autonomy, where security cooperation with Israel coexists with long‑standing economic and diaspora links to the Arab world. This dual approach is examined under GS 2 topics of India’s external relations, security cooperation, and the geopolitical implications of Middle‑East conflicts.

Mains Angle

GS 2 – In a Mains answer, discuss how India’s firm support for Israel post‑Oct 7 illustrates the balancing act between strategic partnership and regional diplomatic considerations, and evaluate its impact on India’s broader Middle‑East policy.