India’s opposition parties have mounted fierce criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his visit to Israel, calling the trip a betrayal of India’s historic foreign policy principles and a display of “moral cowardice” at a moment of intense global scrutiny of Israeli policies.
The visit has drawn fire at home even as Modi seeks to strengthen strategic cooperation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, including defence, technology and bilateral ties.
On Wednesday, Modi also addressed the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, a historic first for an Indian leader.
Modi told the Knesset that India stands with Israel “firmly with full conviction".
The main opposition, the Indian National Congress, accused Modi of exhibiting “moral cowardice” by flying to Israel while much of the world criticises its genocide in Gaza.
Congress leaders said the decision to embrace Netanyahu at a time when civilian suffering in Gaza and the occupied West Bank continues will tarnish India’s consistent diplomatic stance on Palestinian rights and international law.
Left-leaning parties launched even more scathing criticism.
The Communist Party of India argued that the trip would “legitimise” what it described as Netanyahu’s “murderous regime” and deepen India’s alignment with what it called a “Zionist expansionist regime".
The Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation (CPIML) also denounced the trip, characterising it as a “disgraceful act of complicity in the ongoing genocidal assault on the Palestinian people.”
It accused the government of mortgaging India’s sovereignty and strategic autonomy to align with Israel.
Friendship with a war criminal
The party said that Netanyahu is a “war criminal” and alleged that Modi was effectively aligning himself unquestioningly with the Israeli leader.
“War criminal Netanyahu has now announced that India will cooperate in security issues, and Modi is going to Israel to dance and sing to his tunes. This unholy alliance will be an indelible blot on our nation’s soul. Shame!” The Print reported, quoting a CPIML official.
The party claimed that since coming to power in 2014, the Modi government has deliberately adopted Israeli-style measures to entrench what it described as divisive politics domestically.
It alleged that practices ranging from “bulldozer” demolitions and forms of collective punishment targeting minorities, particularly Muslims and marginalised communities, to the expansion of surveillance systems reflect what it called the emulation of Israeli methods.
Closer ties
India has moved closer to Israel under Modi’s Hindu nationalist government.
Experts also say New Delhi’s policy on India-administered Kashmir mirrors Israel’s settler colonial playbook in the occupied West Bank.
A report by UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese recorded that between October 2023 and October 2025, India was among the 26 states that exported arms and ammunition to Israel, despite widespread allegations of war crimes and genocide in Gaza.
Indian labour unions, including the All India Trade Union Congress, have previously criticised recruitment drives to Israel, citing safety risks and lack of transparency.
In 2024, the Indian government advertised 10,000 positions for construction workers in Israel in at least the two states of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
Reports also indicate hundreds of Israelis born in India, in particular from the northeastern states of Manipur and Mizoram, have answered the Israeli military's call to “fight in Gaza”.
New Delhi has also cracked down on pro-Palestinian demonstrations while permitting pro-Israel rallies.
India also abstained from several UN resolutions critical of Israel, including a 2024 General Assembly vote calling for an "immediate, unconditional and permanent" ceasefire in Gaza.
India has declined to condemn Israeli strikes on Iran and has resisted joining several multilateral statements critical of Tel Aviv.
