'Obscene': Modi's Israel visit criticised online as 'embrace of fascism'

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day visit to Israel this week is trending across social media, with people divided over what supporters are calling a strategic reaffirmation of the relationship and critics describing it as a political endorsement of Netanyahu during Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

Modi and Netanyahu shared a warm embrace upon his arrival in Tel Aviv, with Netanyahu’s wife wearing a saffron-coloured outfit mirroring India’s national flag, imagery widely circulated online.

Ahead of the visit, Netanyahu said it would underscore what he called a “special relationship” between Israel and the “global power that is India”, language typically associated with US-Israel ties.

Netanyahu framed the visit as an opportunity to “tighten” the relationship further through expanded economic, diplomatic and security cooperation, and analysts suggest the optics may also serve domestic purposes as Israel heads toward a new election cycle.

This trip comes nearly a decade after Modi’s landmark 2017 visit, when he became the first Indian prime minister to visit Israel, formalising the two countries as strategic partners in water, agriculture and defence, and marking a visible shift in India’s Middle East diplomacy.

While some online were impressed by the saffron-coloured choreography in Tel Aviv, others were completely disillusioned, with some critics saying that the only thing that brought India and Israel together was “fascism and racism”.

The alliance between Israel & India is based on Netanyahu & Modi’s embrace of fascism & racism. Modi’s RSS were keen on Adolf Hitler. Israel’s other great ally Viktor Orban invoked antisemitism to win elections. While Israel’s alliance with apartheid South Africa saw them embrace… https://t.co/ImkS2tf1nx

— Andrew Feinstein (@andrewfeinstein) February 25, 2026

The timing of the visit is politically charged. Israel remains engaged in its genocide in Gaza despite a supposed ceasefire, where more than 72,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023, according to Palestinian health authorities. Israel is also facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

Modi was widely reported to be among the first world leaders to call Netanyahu following the Hamas-led attacks of 7 October 2023, signalling India’s early diplomatic backing of Israel’s framing of the war as self-defence.

Over the past two years, India has maintained support for Israel through labour agreements, defence cooperation and diplomatic positioning, while continuing to call for humanitarian access and a two-state solution.

The muted clip controversy

The visit began trending even before Modi’s speech to Israel’s parliament. Many online came forward and said that India is now “capitulating before a ruthless settler-colonial project”, alluding to the warm relationship between the two countries and the two prime ministers, specifically.

A historically obscene moment.

India, once a leading voice of anti-imperial solidarity, now capitulating before a ruthless settler-colonial project *as it actively commits a genocide* - and with visible enthusiasm, no less.

Compromised PMs is how legacies die. https://t.co/7TIW13RLOA

— Yashaswinee Raje Singh (@ywineethepooh) February 25, 2026

Following today’s address to the Knesset, social media paid special attention to the visit, especially to Modi's reception in Israel. 

A press clip of the duo circulated online, showing Netanyahu speaking with full audio before the feed appeared to mute as Modi began his remarks.

Some speculated that the silence was intentional, joking that “the media knew Modi would embarrass himself”. Others dismissed the incident as a routine technical issue, accusing critics of manufacturing outrage.

When Netanyahu was speaking the clip had audio but it got muted as soon as modi started speaking 🤡

Even foreign media knows that he only does khekhekhe without making any sense.

Such global embarrassment 🤡 pic.twitter.com/JkmKShkCtR

— Jitesh (@Chaotic_mind99) February 25, 2026

The episode has become a flashpoint in wider debates over media bias, diplomatic optics and the personal chemistry between the two leaders.

The Modi-Netanyahu axis

The close rapport between Modi and Netanyahu has long drawn scrutiny. Since 2017, defence trade between India and Israel has expanded significantly, with Israel becoming one of India’s key arms suppliers. Cooperation has also deepened in cybersecurity, agricultural innovation and water management.

For Netanyahu, India represents both a strategic partner and a bridge to the Global South. For Modi, Israel offers advanced defence technology and intelligence collaboration aligned with India’s security priorities.

But critics argue that the optics of warmth, particularly during the Gaza genocide, complicate the situation even further, considering India’s historic support for a two-state solution with a viable Palestinian state. It also risks India’s relations with other Arab countries. 

It is morally reprehensible that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has chosen this moment to visit Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Netanyahu is a leader widely accused of presiding over the deaths of more than 70,000 people in Gaza, now facing an arrest warrant from the… pic.twitter.com/6mKa2s5s6b

— Anish Gawande (@anishgawande) February 25, 2026

Modi’s visit to Israel is both symbolic and substantive: symbolic in its choreography of friendship and rhetoric of a “special relationship”; substantive in the likely expansion of security and economic agreements.

Online reactions reflect those dual realities. For supporters, the visit signals India’s emergence as an assertive global power making independent foreign policy choices. For critics, it raises moral and diplomatic questions about alignment during one of the most controversial chapters in Israel’s modern history, and a significant policy shift from India's historic position on Palestine.

As images of Modi addressing Israel’s parliament circulate, the debate continues - not just about India and Israel, but about how global alliances are being redefined amid war, elections and shifting geopolitical fault lines.