Accessibility links Skip to main content Keyboard shortcuts for audio player Open Navigation Menu Newsletters NPR Shop Close Navigation Menu Home News Expand/collapse submenu for News National World Politics Business Health Science Climate Race Culture Expand/collapse submenu for Culture Books Movies Television Pop Culture Food Art & Design Performing Arts Life Kit Gaming Music Expand/collapse submenu for Music The Best Music of 2025 All Songs Considered Tiny Desk Music Features Live Sessions Podcasts & Shows Expand/collapse submenu for Podcasts & Shows Daily Morning Edition Weekend Edition Saturday Weekend Edition Sunday All Things Considered Up First Here & Now NPR Politics Podcast Featured Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! Fresh Air Wild Card with Rachel Martin It's Been a Minute Planet Money Get NPR+ More Podcasts & Shows Search Newsletters NPR Shop The Best Music of 2025 All Songs Considered Tiny Desk Music Features Live Sessions About NPR Diversity Support Careers Press Ethics Indian prime minister Modi is set to visit Israel at a perilous moment in time The Indian prime minister will meet his Israeli counterpart in Israel this week amid a rapidly shifting geopolitical crisis. World Indian prime minister Modi is set to visit Israel at a perilous moment in time February 24, 20265:48 PM ET Heard on All Things Considered Diaa Hadid Modi to visit Israel Listen · 2:23 2:23 Transcript Toggle more options Download Embed Embed "> <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5723906/nx-s1-9661988" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript The Indian prime minister will meet his Israeli counterpart in Israel this week amid a rapidly shifting geopolitical crisis. Sponsor Message
MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi heads to Israel on Wednesday for a two-day visit. It's only the second time an Indian prime minister has visited Israel. The first was when Modi visited the country back in 2017. NPR's Diaa Hadid reports this comes at a perilous time.
DIAA HADID, BYLINE: India used to be a strong ally of Palestinians. This is a former prime minister, Indira Gandhi, speaking in 1983 in New Delhi. The audio is from WildFilmsIndia.
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INDIRA GANDHI: We are of one mind in our support for the brave, homeless and much harassed Palestinian people.
(APPLAUSE)
HADID: In the '90s, Gandhi's own party began relations with Israel when there was hope that a peace deal could be found with Palestinians. But India has moved on, and for the past decade, the country has been ruled by the Hindu nationalist BJP party, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. And he calls the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, his friend. Their 2017 visit involved them walking on the beach, cuffs rolled up. Now...
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UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: India and Israel are set to take their strategic partnership to the next level as prime minister...
HADID: That's news channel India Today Global, and it reflects what analysts are saying - that this visit is about boosting India's defense capabilities.
(SOUNDBITE OF MISSILE STRIKE)
HADID: It comes after what was a visceral moment for many, when India clashed with Pakistan last May.
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HADID: Pakistan was armed and supplied by India's other neighbor and rival, China. Kabir Taneja is from the Indian think tank the Observer Research Foundation.
KABIR TANEJA: India's interest is how do you counter this immediate threat.
HADID: He says that Israel can provide defense systems and weaponry that work alongside India's array of equipment from different countries. This visit comes at a dramatic time. Here's a recent news update from CNN.
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BRIANNA KEILAR: The U.S. military is prepared to strike Iran as early as this weekend.
HADID: One analyst expressed surprise at the timing. Nicolas Blarel is at Leiden University in the Netherlands and writes on India-Israel relations.
NICOLAS BLAREL: Usually, this is a risk-averse government, so this is very interesting that they're willing to commit.
HADID: During Modi's visit, he's expected to address the Knesset, the Israeli parliament. Opposition lawmakers are threatening to boycott the session to protest against Netanyahu. Blarel says that boycott might prove the cover that India needs if Modi has to hastily change his plans. Diaa Hadid, NPR News, Mumbai. Copyright © 2026 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record. Facebook Flipboard Email Read & Listen Home News Culture Music Podcasts & Shows Connect Newsletters Facebook Instagram Press Public Editor Corrections Transcripts Contact & Help About NPR Overview Diversity NPR Network Accessibility Ethics Finances Get Involved Support Public Radio Sponsor NPR NPR Careers NPR Shop NPR Extra Terms of Use Privacy Your Privacy Choices Text Only Sponsor Message Sponsor MessageBecome an NPR sponsor (function () { var loadPageJs = function () { (window.webpackJsonp=window.webpackJsonp||[]).push([[22],{1167:function(e,n,c){e.exports=c(323)},323:function(e,n,c){"use strict";c.p=NPR.serverVars.webpackPublicPath,Promise.all([c.e(1),c.e(2),c.e(3),c.e(4),c.e(84)]).then(function(e){c(3),c(1140),c(116),c(94),c(52),c(493),c(239),c(102),c(104),c(1141),c(143),c(1142),c(238),c(48),c(1143)}.bind(null,c)).catch(c.oe)}},[[1167,0]]]); }; if (document.readyState === 'complete') { loadPageJs(); } else { window.addEventListener('load', function load() { window.removeEventListener('load', load, false); loadPageJs(); }); } })();