The hug is back. It’s the kind of high-definition, geopolitically loaded embrace that makes diplomats in Washington sweat and human rights lawyers reach for the ibuprofen.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu are leaning into their long-distance relationship again. Modi calls the ties "enduring." Netanyahu, never one to miss a branding opportunity, is pitching something called a "hexagon" alliance. It sounds like a mid-level SaaS startup’s logo, but the hardware behind it is anything but soft. We aren’t talking about "shared democratic values" over chai; we’re talking about drones, chips, and the kind of surveillance tech that keeps opposition leaders up at night.

Let’s be real. This isn't a friendship; it’s a procurement strategy.

For years, India has been trying to shed its image as the world’s largest arms importer. They want to build things. "Make in India" is the slogan, but the reality is that you can’t just conjure a high-tech defense sector out of thin air and nationalism. You need a partner who doesn't mind getting their hands dirty and who won't lecture you on "human rights" when the bill comes due. Enter Israel.

The "hexagon" Netanyahu is hawking isn’t just a shape. It’s a blueprint for deep integration across six sectors: defense, cyber, agriculture, energy, water, and space. It’s a clever bit of marketing for a relationship that has become India’s most essential, and perhaps most expensive, strategic crutch.

But there’s friction under the hood. There always is.

Take the $500 million deal for Spike anti-tank missiles. It’s been on, then off, then on again, stuck in a loop of bureaucratic hell and "Aatmanirbhar Bharat" (self-reliance) posturing. New Delhi wants the blueprints; Jerusalem wants the cash and the loyalty. It’s a classic case of the buyer wanting the secret sauce while the seller just wants to move the inventory.

Then there’s the Pegasus-sized elephant in the room. While both leaders talk about "innovation hubs" and "tech corridors," the ghost of NSO Group’s spyware still haunts the halls of the Indian parliament. It’s the ultimate friction point: the tech that makes this alliance so effective is the same tech that makes it so toxic to anyone worried about the state of Indian dissent. But in the world of the Hexagon, privacy is a bug, not a feature.

Netanyahu needs this. He’s a man perpetually fighting for his political life, looking for a market that won't boycott his exports or protest his cabinet's every move. India is that market. It’s 1.4 billion people and a military budget that keeps growing even when the GDP hitches. For Modi, Israel is the shortcut to modernity. It’s the "Startup Nation" magic rub-off that he hopes will finally turn Bangalore into something more than just a back-office for Silicon Valley.

But look at the trade-offs. India has spent decades trying to play both sides of the Middle Eastern fence. They need Iranian oil and Emirati investment. They need to look like the leader of the Global South—a group of nations that, generally speaking, isn't thrilled with Israel’s current trajectory. Every time Modi doubles down on Netanyahu, that balancing act gets a little more precarious. You can’t claim to be the voice of the disenfranchised while buying the latest "crowd control" tech from the world’s most efficient urban warfare specialists.

The Hexagon is a nice bit of geometry. It’s stable. It looks good on a PowerPoint slide in a Tel Aviv boardroom. But alliances built on the necessity of hardware are only as strong as the next upgrade cycle. If India eventually figures out how to build its own sensors and its own software, what’s left of the "enduring" bond?

For now, the checks are being signed and the cameras are flashing. We’re told this is a partnership for the next century. It’s a nice sentiment, but in the tech world, "enduring" usually just means the contract hasn't expired yet.

How long does a hexagon stay a hexagon before one of the sides decides it’s cheaper to just walk away?