Prime Minister Narendra Modi begins a two-day state visit to Israel amid escalating tensions in West Asia. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu calls Modi a “personal friend” as talks centre on defence, trade and advanced technology. India is keen on deeper military cooperation, including possible collaboration on Israel’s Iron Dome air defence system, while fast-tracking the long-pending Free Trade Agreement. Back home, opposition voices question the timing over Gaza and Palestine, even as the government frames the visit as strategic realism. In Jerusalem, India signals national interest over ideology.