Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s expected visit here is getting entangled in Israel’s domestic politics, with Opposition leader Yair Lapid threatening to boycott his parliamentary address unless the Supreme Court chief is invited for it, as per convention.

Mr. Modi is expected to arrive in Israel on February 25, 2026, for a two-day visit, during which he is likely to address the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) and meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog.

Leader of Opposition Lapid has insisted that Supreme Court President Yitzhak Amit be invited to the Knesset when Mr. Modi addresses the House. Sources in the Opposition maintain that it is not a call for a boycott; instead, the government is “intentionally trying to force us into a bad situation.” “We spoke to the Indian embassy … They are in panic from this. Prime Minister of India, Modi, is invited to the Knesset next Wednesday [February 25, 2026], something that is a matter of honour for all of us,” Mr. Lapid told the Knesset recently.

“If the coalition boycotts the President of the High Court during the special session with the Prime Minister of India, we will not be able to attend the debate,” Mr. Lapid told the lawmakers, stressing that another public boycott of Mr. Amit by the coalition would cause “enormous embarrassment” to the legislature.

“We do not want India to be embarrassed by us, with the Prime Minister of a nation of a billion people standing here in front of a half-empty Knesset,” Mr. Lapid emphasised.

Israel’s domestic politics is embroiled in a heated debate over judicial overhaul, a divisive issue that has also sharply split the population for over two years. The country faced large protests on the issue before the October 7 attack by Hamas two years ago, drawing hundreds of thousands of people to the streets every weekend for almost 10 months.

Following Mr. Amit’s election as court President in January 2025, Justice Minister Yariv Levin has refused to recognise his authority as the Chief Justice and has refused to meet him or address him as head of the court.

The State Gazette has also not published his name as the Chief Justice, as required by law.

This has led to Mr. Amit’s exclusion from multiple Knesset events — including addresses by U.S. President Donald Trump and other world leaders — to which he would have traditionally been invited.

Two weeks ago, the Opposition boycotted a Knesset session to celebrate its 77th anniversary due to Mr. Amit’s exclusion.

Mr. Lapid was the only member of the Opposition to address the plenum, using his speech to attack Netanyahu over his treatment of the court President.

The Leader of Opposition’s (LOP) threat has led to heated exchanges in the political circles with Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana accusing Lapid of harming the Indo-Israel relations in order to score domestic political points.

“If the Leader of the Opposition, M.K. Yair Lapid, wants to harm the foreign relations of the State of Israel with an important friend of ours, who is also one of the most important powers in the world, that is his choice. An unfortunate, wrong choice, and I hope he will reverse it,” Knesset Speaker Ohana posted on X, calling such threats “illegitimate weapons in an internal political struggle.”

The Knesset Speaker also called upon the Opposition leader to explain to the Indian government why he did not choose to boycott appearances by Argentinian President Javier Milei and U.S. President Trump, “even though Justice Amit was not invited” to their speeches.

Mr. Lapid responded by issuing a public appeal to Netanyahu, agreeing that boycotting a foreign leader was indeed “an illegitimate weapon in an internal political struggle” but arguing that the fault lay with the Knesset speaker.

To prevent harm to ties between Jerusalem and New Delhi, Mr. Netanyahu “must immediately instruct Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana to also invite Supreme Court President Yitzhak Amit to the ceremonial meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” Mr. Lapid asserted.

“Ohana’s boycott of Justice Amit is also a boycott of the Opposition, and will not allow us to attend the meeting,” he said, insisting that he had “no desire” to harm the standing of the country, Knesset and Prime Minister but he was being “push[ed] into a corner”.

Senior sources in the Opposition told PTI that “they [the government] are intentionally trying to force us into a bad situation.”

“We are not calling for a boycott. We are calling on the PM and speaker to invite the President of the Supreme Court in accordance with the protocol,” a source said.

“We hope that the Prime Minister resolves this and avoids embarrassment during such an important visit by a great friend and strategic ally. Everyone in Israel greatly values the relationship and friendship with India,” the source said.

Published – February 22, 2026 06:15 pm IST

Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and others during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in Jerusalem.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and others during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in Jerusalem.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich will be on a three-day visit to India next week between September 8 and 10. File.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Israel broadens the war in Gaza with an air attack on Lebanon, is the crisis in West Asia about to escalate? And as the one year mark since the October 7 terror attacks approaches, PM Modi meets the Palestinian President. Has India’s position shifted at all?

This is High-Level week at the UN, and the conflicts in the world were at the centre of most speeches by world leaders- particularly focussed on Israel’s assault on Gaza, West Bank and now Lebanon post the October 7 terror attacks last year.

How is India impacted by spread in the conflict?

1. 8.7 million Indians live and work in West Asia- the conflict there affects them all due to geopolitical disturbances- after Israel where there are 20,000 Indians working, and more are being sent as labour, there are about 3,000 in Lebanon after the last advisory but more go. But if trouble spreads further Qatar has 700,000 Indians, UAE has 3.5 millions- it’s not just their safety but their livelihood that matters.

2. Much of India’s trade revenues and remittances come from West Asia- trade with GCC countries bloc alone is more than 15% of the total, and remittances from Indians working in West Asian countries is about 55% of the total
While India now takes about 40% of its oil from Russia, the bulk of its imports traditionally is West Asia- Iraq, Saudi, UAE.

3. The conflict over the past year has put a spanner in India’s connectivity plans- more than a year since the IMEEC was announced, there has not even been one meeting of the founders due to the conflict that began a month after it was launched at the G20. In particular, Indian company Adani has invested in Haifa port- meant to be used for IMEEC, and that will be in trouble.

 4. Other plans like the I2U2 are on hold, on the other hand India’s plans for connectivity through Iran- INSTC, Chabahar etc see an indirect impact from any conflict in the region.

The conflict, and the Russia-Ukraine conflict are now overshadowing India’s concerns to the East, and impacting larger groupings like QUAD- the summit was delayed for months because US officials preoccupied, and eventually will also force India into a difficult spot at BRICS plus Summit next month- as all countries there are deeply critical of Israel.

5. India’s bilateral ties with Israel are also on the back burner with the conflict- while their trade is about 7 billion- defence trade is crucial for both- India is now Israel’s largest arms purchaser, taking about 40% of Israel’s total weapons exports, and making up up to 15% of India’s weapons exports. India also exports drone and some parts to Israel under private licenses- but these have come under a cloud.

6. Finally, there is India’s reputation at stake and being questioned- especially in the Arab world and the Global South- which may have led PM Modi to request a meeting with Palestinian President Abbas in New York this week –he hasn’t met Netanyahu yet since.

So what is India’s policy on the Israel-Gaza conflict- and has it changed in the past year?

1. Zero tolerance for terror and release of hostages- however India has not banned Hamas or designated it a terror organisation.

2. Humanitarian law must prevail in the response of any country- India is increasingly uncomfortable with the rising civilian casualties.

3. India says it supports a ceasefire- but this is unclear- after having abstained on that question in October 2023, changed vote in favour in December 2023, and then abstained again on an UNGA resolution in September 2024.

4. Critical of illegal Israeli settlements and occupation of Palestine territories- but does not support boycotts or sanctions of Israel over it.

5. India has increased its support to UNRWA – that Israel accuses of being complicit in the October 7 attacks.

6. India still supports a 2 state solution, which Israel’s PM and Knesset have now rejected.

Worldview take:  

India has repeated that it has a principled policy on the Israel-Palestine conflict, but its actions in the last few years have left many on both sides of the conflict confused- as it seems to change from statement to statement, and UN vote to UN vote. While this may be seen as a successful hedging policy- it is important to remember the stakes involved- in connectivity, defence and development on one side and India’s standing as a voice for the voiceless, speaking up for the Palestinian cause, criticising the killing of civilians amongst those in the Global South, Arab world, and India’s own neighbourhood to consider, and must be clear in its consistency.

 WV Reading Recommendations:

 
1. A Very Short History of the Israel–Palestine Conflict by Ilan Pappe- out soon

2. The Holy Land at War: A Journey Through Israel, the West Bank and Gaza by Mark Patinkin- an American journalist

3. Method and Madness: The Hidden Story of Israel’s Assaults on Gaza by Norman Finkelstein is from 2015- so pre the current crisis

4. Asymmetric Conflict: Israel-Lebanon War, 2006 by Col. Harjeet Singh

 
5. India and Israel: The Making of a Strategic Partnership Edited by Jayant Prasad

 
6. Hostile Homelands: The New Alliance Between India and Israel by Azad Essa

Presentation: Suhasini Haidar

Production: Shibu Narayan and Sabika Syed