Deep Dive: Modi delivers first address by Indian premier to Israel's Knesset, hails ties

From the geopolitical lens, Modi's address to the Knesset signals a deepening strategic partnership between India and Israel, two nations navigating complex global alliances amid shifting power dynamics in the Middle East and Indo-Pacific. India, under Modi, has prioritized defense and technology collaborations with Israel to counterbalance regional threats like China and Pakistan, while Israel seeks reliable partners beyond traditional Western allies. This move reflects India's multi-alignment strategy, reducing dependence on Russia for arms and embracing Western-oriented partnerships without fully endorsing anti-Iran stances. As international affairs correspondents, we note the cross-border implications extend to technology transfers, agriculture innovations, and counter-terrorism intelligence sharing, affecting global supply chains for drones, cybersecurity, and water management tech. Beyond the region, this bolsters India's position in the QUAD (with US, Japan, Australia) against Chinese expansionism, while Israel gains a democratic counterweight to Arab state normalizations via Abraham Accords. Diaspora communities in both nations—India's Jewish population and Israel's Indian tech workers—benefit from enhanced people-to-people ties. Regionally, in the culturally diverse contexts of South Asia and the Levant, this event contrasts India's secular democracy with Israel's Jewish state identity, yet unites them through shared histories of partition traumas and non-aligned movements post-WWII. Key actors include Modi's BJP government pursuing Hindu-nationalist foreign policy and Israel's coalition under Netanyahu emphasizing security amid Gaza conflicts. Implications ripple to Muslim-majority neighbors like Turkey and Iran, potentially heightening tensions, while offering economic opportunities in renewable energy and pharma. Looking ahead, this could accelerate free trade agreements and joint ventures, influencing global south-north dynamics and challenging simplistic East-West binaries in international relations.