The hugs are back. They never really left, but the lighting is different now. Narendra Modi and Benjamin Netanyahu have spent the last decade perfecting the art of the diplomatic bro-hug. It’s a PR masterclass—the kind of high-contrast, saturated imagery designed to look good on a smartphone screen in Noida or a news ticker in Tel Aviv. It’s meant to signal a "limitless" bond, but in the world of high-stakes hardware and surveillance tech, everything has a price tag. And usually, a data leak.
Don’t call it a partnership. That’s too soft. It’s a supply chain of mutual survival. For years, the optics were easy: two populists standing on a beach, looking at a water desalination jeep. It was cute. It was memeable. But behind the photo-ops lies a gritty reality of kinetic energy and silicon. India is the largest buyer of Israeli defense equipment, a reality that keeps the Israeli military-industrial complex humming while New Delhi tries to modernize its aging, Soviet-era arsenal. We’re talking about a $2 billion annual tabs for things like the MRSAM missile systems and those Heron drones that now buzz over India's disputed borders.
It isn’t just about the big metal toys, though. The friction starts where the software begins. Remember the Pegasus scandal? Of course you do. The NSO Group’s spyware allegedly found its way onto the phones of Indian journalists, activists, and politicians. That wasn’t an accident. It was the natural byproduct of a relationship built on the "security-first" mindset. When Modi and "Bibi" talk about tech, they aren't talking about consumer apps or better UX for food delivery. They’re talking about the architecture of control. They’re talking about signals intelligence and facial recognition.
The trade-offs are getting harder to ignore. For Modi, the friendship is a tightrope walk. India has millions of citizens working in the Gulf, sending back billions in remittances. Alienating the Arab world used to be a dealbreaker. Not anymore. Netanyahu provided the blueprint for how to maintain a high-tech "Startup Nation" image while running a permanent security state. Modi took notes. But the price of this alignment isn’t just measured in Shekels or Rupees. It’s measured in the loss of India’s traditional role as a neutral mediator in the Middle East.
Then there’s the Gaza factor. When the current conflict erupted, Modi’s first instinct wasn't the usual "both sides" platitude. He went all in on solidarity with Israel. It was a sharp pivot, a departure from decades of Indian foreign policy that leaned toward the Palestinian cause. This wasn't just about fighting "terror." It was about protecting a tech pipeline. India needs Israeli tech to manage its own internal "difficulties." Israel needs India's massive market to stay solvent while it faces increasing isolation elsewhere. It’s a marriage of convenience where the pre-nup is written in code.
Look at the Adani Group’s acquisition of the Haifa Port. That’s a $1.2 billion bet on the future of global trade routes. It’s a physical manifestation of the I2U2—that clunky acronym for the alliance between India, Israel, the UAE, and the US. They want to build a corridor to rival China’s Belt and Road. It’s an ambitious, messy, and incredibly expensive play for the future of the Eurasian rim. But corridors require stability. And stability is the one thing the Middle East hasn't had in stock lately.
So, the hugs continue. They’ll keep praising each other on X. They’ll keep talking about "shared values." But ignore the rhetoric and follow the hardware. Follow the Pegasus licenses and the drone shipments. Follow the port acquisitions and the missile contracts. The friendship looks solid because it’s built on concrete and surveillance sensors, not on some vague sense of democratic brotherhood. It’s a cold, hard exchange of needs.
It’s a great show for the cameras. Just don't bother reading the fine print on the end-user license agreement. You won't like what it says about your privacy. Or the cost of the next shipment of munitions. If this is the future of diplomacy, it’s going to be very well-guarded and extremely expensive.
Who actually pays the bill in the end?