10. Diplomatic Balancing Amidst Domestic Turmoil: PM Modi’s 2026 Israel Visit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to Israel from February 25-26, 2026, has become a focal point of intense domestic political friction in Jerusalem, as the Israeli Opposition ties their attendance at his Knesset address to the country\'s ongoing judicial crisis. • The Boycott Threat: Opposition leader Yair Lapid has threatened to boycott PM Modi’s address to the Knesset unless Supreme Court President Yitzhak Amit is invited, as per parliamentary convention. This ultimatum highlights the deep rift between the Netanyahu government and the judiciary. • Judicial Overhaul Conflict: The primary cause of the friction is the long-standing debate over judicial reforms. Following Yitzhak Amit’s appointment as Chief Justice in early 2025, Justice Minister Yariv Levin has refused to officially recognize his authority or publish his name in the State Gazette. • Potential for \'Enormous Embarrassment\': The Opposition warns that a \'half-empty Knesset\' during the address of a leader representing 1.4 billion people would cause significant diplomatic embarrassment, reporting that the Indian Embassy is monitoring the internal standoff with concern. • Knesset Speaker\'s Response: Speaker Amir Ohana has criticized the boycott threat as an \'illegitimate weapon\' in an internal struggle, accusing the Opposition of harming Israel\'s foreign relations with a \'gigantic power\' like India to score domestic political points. • Strategic Partnership Context: The visit follows significant bilateral momentum in 2025, including the signing of a Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) and progress toward a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), emphasizing India’s role as a \'model ally\' in the region. • Broader Regional Implications: The visit occurs against a backdrop of regional volatility involving Iran and Gaza, where India continues to perform a delicate \'balancing act\' by maintaining strong ties with both Israel and the Arab world. Key Definitions • Knesset: The unicameral national legislature of Israel, which serves as the country\'s supreme governing body. • Judicial Overhaul: A series of proposed changes to the Israeli legal system aimed at limiting the Supreme Court’s power to exercise judicial review over the executive and legislative branches. • Seniority System: A long-standing convention in Israel where the most senior justice on the Supreme Court is appointed as its President, a practice the current government has sought to abolish. Constitutional and Legal Context • Article 51 (Directive Principles): The Indian Constitution mandates that the State shall endeavor to promote international peace and security and maintain just and honorable relations between nations. • Basic Laws of Israel: Since Israel lacks a formal written constitution, its \'Basic Laws\' function as such. The current struggle involves the Basic Law: The Judiciary, specifically concerning the appointment of judges. • Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (1961): Provides the framework for diplomatic immunity and the conduct of state visits, ensuring that visiting heads of government are accorded appropriate honors regardless of the host nation\'s internal politics. Additional Strategic Keypoints • Soft Power Diplomacy: PM Modi’s visit, his second after the historic 2017 trip, leverages personal \'bonhomie\' with PM Netanyahu to advance defense and technology cooperation. • I2U2 and IMEC: India and Israel are key partners in the I2U2 Group (India, Israel, UAE, US) and the proposed India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), both of which are critical to India’s maritime and trade strategy. • Domestic vs. International Image: The exclusion of the Chief Justice from high-profile events (including addresses by US President Trump in 2025) is viewed by the Israeli Opposition as a systematic effort to delegitimize the judiciary. Conclusion The entanglement of PM Modi’s visit in Israel’s domestic judicial crisis underscores the challenges of conducting high-level diplomacy in a polarized world. While the strategic and economic ties between New Delhi and Jerusalem remain robust—exemplified by the $11 billion bilateral trade and the BIT—the internal \'constitutional crisis\' in Israel threatens to cast a shadow over the ceremonial aspects of the visit. For India, the priority remains a stable partnership that survives changes in leadership and domestic policy shifts in the Middle East. UPSC Relevance • General Studies II: India and its neighborhood-relations; Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests. • General Studies II: Comparison of the Indian constitutional scheme with that of other countries (Judicial independence and Executive-Judiciary relations). • International Relations: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests; Indian Diaspora.