Bill Drexel on Narendra Modi's Visit to Israel

About this episode

The episode discusses Prime Minister Narendra Modi's historic address to the Knesset and the evolving relationship between India and Israel.

On February 25th, 2026, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India became the first Indian head of government to address the Knesset. It was a moment that, years ago, would have been difficult to imagine. India and Israel established full diplomatic relations only in 1992. For most of the preceding decades, India had been among Israel's harshest critics—a reflexive supporter of the Palestinian cause, a country whose leaders looked on the Jewish state with suspicion or contempt. Something has changed. And Prime Minister Modi's speech in Jerusalem made clear just how much. Standing before the Knesset, Modi opened by describing himself as "a representative of one ancient civilization addressing another." He noted that he was born on September 17, 1950, the very day India formally recognized the state of Israel. He expressed condolences for the victims of October 7, condemned Hamas's attack as "barbaric," and declared that "no cause can justify the murder of civilians." He called Israel "a protective wall against barbarism." And in language that echoed Prime Minister Netanyahu's own, he told the assembled lawmakers: "The massacre of October 7 made it absolutely clear—either the jihadist…

People in this episode

Guest: Narendra Modi

Topics covered

• India-Israel relations
• Narendra Modi
• Knesset address
• political speech
• diplomatic history

Keywords

• Narendra Modi
• Knesset
• India
• Israel
• October 7
• Hamas
• diplomatic relations

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Knesset

Places: India, Israel

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