Shalom, Achi: PM Modi’s Visit and the Strategic Logic Binding India and Israel

• Modi–Netanyahu trust anchors a resilient, future‑oriented strategic alliance.

• Personal diplomacy accelerates bold coordination beyond traditional protocol.

• Defense ties shift from procurement to co‑production and joint development.

• Collaboration expands into AI, quantum, cyber, and next‑gen systems.

• Five pillars: defense industry, advanced tech, supply chains, regional diplomacy (i2U2), leadership trust.

• Aligns Israel with India’s rise as a global power.

In his article “Shalom, Achi,” Eliezer Avraham, founder of the global strategic advisory firm i2, underscores the profound strategic and personal significance of the India–Israel relationship, framing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Israel as far more than a routine diplomatic engagement. Avraham argues that the partnership has evolved into a resilient and future‑oriented alliance rooted in personal trust between Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

According to Avraham, the visible rapport between the two leaders has transformed bilateral ties over the past decade. Their shared national missions—strengthening security, modernizing their economies, and elevating their global standing—have enabled both countries to move beyond traditional diplomacy toward bold, strategic coordination. This personal diplomacy, he suggests, has accelerated decision‑making and deepened cooperation in ways bureaucratic processes alone could not achieve.

At the core of the relationship lies defense collaboration. Avraham emphasizes that India–Israel defense ties have shifted from simple procurement to long‑term industrial partnership, aligned with India’s “Make in India” strategy. Israeli firms have embedded themselves within India’s defense ecosystem through co‑production, technology transfer, and joint development. Future cooperation is expected to expand into advanced domains such as artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, cybersecurity, and next‑generation defense systems.

Beyond defense, Avraham outlines a broader five‑pillar framework for the relationship: defense industrial collaboration, advanced technology partnerships, resilient supply chains, expanded regional diplomacy—including forums such as i2U2—and sustained leadership trust. He situates this partnership within a shifting geopolitical landscape, noting India’s emergence as a leading global power and Israel’s strategic interest in aligning with India’s rise.

Ultimately, Avraham portrays the India–Israel relationship as a model of modern statecraft—anchored in shared interests, strengthened by personal warmth, and designed to provide strategic stability in an era of global uncertainty.

Below article of Eliezer Avraham, as published by timesofisrael

Shalom, Achi

When PM Narendra Modi arrives in Israel in the coming days, it will mark more than a diplomatic engagement. It will be the return of an achi (a brother); to a country where personal warmth, strategic alignment, and shared purpose have become the defining pillars of a singular bilateral relationship. Few leaders on the world stage have cultivated a rapport as visible and consequential as PM Modi and PM Netanyahu. Their gestures, conversations, and mutual admiration have shaped the trajectory of India–Israel relations for nearly a decade.

This visit comes at a moment of profound geopolitical flux. The region is tense, global alignments are shifting, and both leaders face domestic political pressures that will shape their decisions. Yet the India–Israel partnership has matured into something resilient; a relationship capable of absorbing shocks, navigating uncertainty, and still moving forward with clarity of purpose. PM Modi’s return to Jerusalem is not ceremonial; it is strategic.

A Partnership Built on Personal Diplomacy

The relationship between PM Modi and PM Netanyahu has always been more than protocol. It is rooted in a shared sense of national mission: to secure their countries, modernize their economies, and position their nations as indispensable actors in a rapidly changing world.

For PM Modi, Israel represents a trusted partner in defense, technology, agriculture, and innovation; a country that has consistently delivered when India needed it most. For PM Netanyahu, India is not only a vast market and a rising global power but also a country whose leadership sees Israel not through the lens of old ideological filters, but through the prism of shared interests and mutual respect. This personal diplomacy matters. It has allowed both countries to move faster, take bolder decisions, and build a strategic architecture that is now central to their respective futures.

The Strategic Context: Risks on All Sides

This visit unfolds against a backdrop of significant geopolitical risk. For PM Netanyahu, the political calendar is unforgiving. Elections loom before October, coalition dynamics are volatile, and every diplomatic engagement is scrutinized through the lens of domestic alliances. A high‑profile visit from PM Modi offers strategic value, but also political risk.

For PM Modi, the stakes are equally high. India’s global posture has evolved dramatically as an undisputed leader of the Global South, India is positioning itself as a stabilizing force; a country capable of engaging Washington, Moscow, Jerusalem, Riyadh, and Tehran while preserving its strategic autonomy.

A visit to Israel at a moment of heightened regional tension requires careful calibration, especially with the possibility of U.S. strikes on Iran or broader regional escalation. Both leaders understand the risks. And yet, the visit is moving forward; a testament to the strategic logic binding the two nations.

Defense: The Pillar of the Relationship

India–Israel defense cooperation is not merely a component of the relationship; it is its backbone. India’s defense partnership with Israel has deepened steadily over the past two decades, evolving from procurement into long‑term industrial collaboration. What is clear today is that India’s defense ecosystem is expanding at a pace without precedent in its post‑independence history. With credible projections pointing to a potential fourfold increase in capacity and output over the next decade, the India–Israel defense relationship is not merely substantial; it is foundational and poised for even greater scale. The era of simple procurement is over. “Make in India,” co‑production, and joint development are now mandatory pillars of India’s defense strategy. Israel has adapted quickly. Israeli companies have embraced co‑production, transferred technology, and embedded themselves in India’s defense industrial base. This is not transactional. It is structural.

PM Modi’s visit is expected to reinforce this trajectory. While no major procurement announcements are likely; and certainly, no Free Trade Agreement, which remains improbable on this trip, the visit will deepen the framework for long‑term defense collaboration. The updated security pact, already signaled by Israeli officials, will modernize cooperation in AI, quantum technologies, cyber, and next‑generation defense systems. This is where the future lies.

India’s Rise and Israel’s Strategic Bet

India is no longer a regional power. It is a global one. As the world’s fastest‑growing major economy, the anchor of the Indo‑Pacific, and the voice of the Global South, India is shaping global conversations on trade, technology, and security. India’s diplomatic posture balancing great‑power competition while maintaining strategic autonomy; has made it a pivotal actor in every major geopolitical equation.

For Israel, this is not just an opportunity. It is a strategic bet. India offers scale, stability, and long‑term alignment. It is a country whose rise strengthens Israel’s own strategic position. And unlike other partners, India’s relationship with Israel is not subject to the volatility of regional politics or ideological swings. This is why PM Modi’s visit matters. It signals continuity, commitment, and confidence in a partnership that is becoming central to both nations’ futures.

The Five Pillars: A Framework for the Future

The most consequential outcomes of PM Modi’s visit will not be found in headline‑grabbing announcements. Instead, the visit will reinforce a strategic framework; a narrative architecture that will guide the relationship for the next decade.

This framework rests on several interlocking pillars. First, defense co‑production and joint development will deepen, not as isolated projects but as a long‑term industrial partnership. India’s defense modernization requires reliable partners, and Israel’s technological edge aligns naturally with India’s manufacturing ambitions. Second, advanced technology cooperation; in AI, quantum computing, cybersecurity, and space, will become increasingly central. Both nations see technological sovereignty as essential to national security, and both understand that collaboration accelerates capability.

Third, supply‑chain resilience will shape future cooperation. The pandemic, global conflicts and shifting trade patterns have underscored the need for diversified, trusted supply chains. India and Israel are well‑positioned to build them together. Fourth, regional diplomacy will play a larger role. Whether through i2U2, Indo‑Abrahamic cooperation, or broader multilateral engagement, both countries recognize that their strategic interests intersect across the Middle East and beyond.

Finally, personal trust between PM Modi and PM Netanyahu will continue to serve as a catalyst. In an era where geopolitical uncertainty is the norm, relationships between leaders can accelerate decisions that bureaucracies alone cannot. This is the quiet, steady work of statecraft; the kind that shapes the future more than any single announcement.

 A Moment of Chaverim

In the end, the relationship between PM Modi and PM Netanyahu is not only about strategy. It is about the human dimension of diplomacy; the ability of leaders to see each other not just as counterparts, but as partners in a shared mission. For decades, India and Israel have regarded one another as chaverim (trusted friends); and the personal rapport between the two prime ministers has elevated that friendship to the level of achim, brothers. As PM Modi returns to Jerusalem, the ancient words of Psalm 133 feel particularly apt: “Hineh mah tov u’mah na’im, shevet achim gam yachad.” Behold, how good and how pleasant it is when brothers dwell together in unity.

In a world defined by uncertainty, this visit is a reaffirmation of unity; not in sentiment, but in strategy. Not in nostalgia, but in vision. A partnership built on personal warmth, anchored in shared security, and guided by a belief that two nations, walking together, can shape a more stable and prosperous future. Shalom, achi.