Explained : Global Watch | PM Modi’s Strategic Israel Visit And The Politics Of Narrative Warfare | India News and Its Impact

Last Updated:February 27, 2026, 16:54 IST

By strengthening ties with Israel while backing a two-state solution for Palestine, India shows an ability to balance strategic partnerships with historic principles of diplomacy

PM Narendra Modi with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu during a meeting, in Tel Aviv, Israel, on February 25, 2026. (Image: MEA/PTI)

Al Jazeera, a Qatar-backed influential media platform known for peddling Islamist propaganda, has carried out another hit job with its biased reporting aimed at discrediting India’s diplomatic engagement during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s strategic visit to Israel. Its coverage is full of factual inaccuracies, misleading claims, and attempts to misrepresent India’s policies on Kashmir, Palestine, and international relations.

In the run-up to Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Israel, Al Jazeera published an article titled “Kashmir, spying, demolitions: How Modi’s India embraced ‘Israel model’”. The timing and content of this piece make it clear that the article was designed to discredit India’s diplomatic engagement and cast the visit in a negative light. The article was published on 24 February 2026, just one day before PM Modi’s scheduled visit to Israel — a fact that speaks volumes about its intent rather than its objectivity.

Misleading Claims

Al Jazeera’s article claims that India has “openly embraced Israel” and suggests that New Delhi has borrowed “security and administrative approaches” from Israel, pointing to issues such as home demolitions, “bulldozer justice”, and spyware surveillance in India’s internal security policies. It also highlights selective debates on Indian TV that refer to Israeli tactics. These assertions are misleading and factually incorrect. Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and functions under a federal structure. It enjoys legislative powers under the Union Territory framework, and there is no truth to the claim that India is emulating Israel in governance or policy. These assertions appear motivated more by the timing of Modi’s visit than by reality.

Al Jazeera’s narrative attempts to frame India-Israel relations as an ideological alignment at the expense of India’s historic support for the Palestinian cause. In reality, India has been a consistent supporter of Palestine: it was among the first countries to recognise the Palestine Liberation Organisation in 1974, followed by Yasser Arafat’s encouragement to engage with Israel, and established formal diplomatic ties in January 1992.

Most recently, in 2026, India has reaffirmed its support for a two-state solution, condemning Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank and advocating for a sovereign, independent Palestinian state living peacefully alongside Israel. India’s position was also reflected in its vote at the United Nations General Assembly, reinforcing that New Delhi continues to support Palestinian statehood while simultaneously maintaining strong relations with Israel. Indian diplomats, including External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, have consistently emphasised dialogue, diplomacy, and humanitarian assistance as central to resolving the conflict. Today, most Muslim-majority countries, including Pakistan, offer only lip service to Gaza while aligning strategically with Washington and Israel.

In contrast, India maintains constructive relationships with Arab countries, many of which have recognised Prime Minister Modi’s contributions and honoured him for strengthening regional ties. Between 2016 and 2025, Modi has been conferred the highest national awards by Arab countries, including Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia. If India’s relationship with Israel were driven solely by ideological alignment against Muslims, as Al Jazeera claims, Modi would not have simultaneously strengthened ties with Arab nations nor received these high honours from them.

Baseless Ideological Allegations

The article cites authors such as Azad Essa and Sumantra Bose, claiming that India-Israel relations under PM Modi are driven by Hindu nationalist ideology and a civilisational view of Muslims as threats:

“The India–Israel relationship under Modi is a bond between two ideologies that see themselves as civilisational projects and Muslims as demographic and security threats,” said Azad Essa.

“The Hindu nationalist belief system is steeped in affinity for Zionism and Israel … The Israeli ideal finds reflection in many policies and measures of Modi’s government,” said Sumantra Bose.

These claims are exaggerated and politically motivated. They ignore the fact that Muslims in India have historically occupied some of the highest offices in the country—including Presidents Dr Zakir Husain, Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, and APJ Abdul Kalam—and continue to enjoy full participation in governance under Modi, with Muslims serving as cabinet ministers, members of Parliament, and senior judges. In stark contrast, the situation of Hindus in countries such as Pakistan and Bangladesh is far worse.

In Bangladesh, over 2,000 hate crimes against Hindus and other minorities were reported in 2024 alone, including at least 15 murders within a 45-day period, along with widespread attacks on property and religious sites. In Pakistan, Hindus face systemic persecution, including forced conversions, abductions, attacks on temples, and mob violence, with hundreds of documented cases in recent years. These realities highlight the insecurity faced by minority communities in those countries, yet they rarely feature in such reporting.

Propaganda Through Misleading Comparisons

Al Jazeera has attempted to draw sensational parallels between Kashmir and Gaza, even quoting unverified claims about Indian TV discussions. In reality, Jammu and Kashmir is an integral Indian territory, governed under a robust constitutional and legal framework, with functioning administrative structures, rule of law, and democratic mechanisms at par with any other state or Union Territory in the rest of India. Comparing it to Gaza is not only misleading but serves as propaganda to undermine India’s sovereignty and international image.

The article also strategically tries to exploit India’s internal diversity and historic tensions, writing: “In 1966, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi ordered helicopter gunships to bomb parts of the north-eastern state of Mizoram to quell a rebel movement. Other regions, especially India’s deep south, have long worried about the Hindi-speaking north trying to dominate them culturally – this has led to sporadic tussle.”

While India, like any federal democracy, faces political and cultural challenges, emphasising these events to discredit India’s policies during a strategic visit is a classic propaganda tactic. The piece strategically focuses on faultlines, ignoring India’s robust legal, social, and democratic framework. Moreover, the inclusion of a decades-old episode from 1966, which is entirely unrelated to Modi’s visit, clearly underscores Al Jazeera’s intent to shape a negative narrative.

The timing of the article makes its intent clear: to discredit Modi’s visit to Israel and present India in a negative light. The narrative is a calibrated attempt to undermine India’s diplomatic position, misrepresent its policies, and influence international perception. It cannot be seen as genuine journalism, but rather as propaganda designed to harm India’s strategic interests.

India, under Prime Minister Modi, continues to maintain balanced foreign relations, uphold federal principles, and pursue constructive engagement globally, irrespective of such attacks by media outlets with ulterior motives. By simultaneously strengthening ties with Israel and supporting a two-state solution for Palestine, India demonstrates its ability to balance strategic partnerships with historic principles of international diplomacy.

The writer is an author and columnist. His X handle is @ArunAnandLive. Views expressed are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18’s views.

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