Image:Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during Modi’s 2017 visit to Israel, marking a milestone in a partnership that continues to shape regional alignments and emerging trade corridors.Photo: Jack Guez / Pool via AP .

This week’s visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Israel signals the consolidation of a broader regional axis confronting both Shiite and Sunni radicalism across the space stretching from the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean — while simultaneously strengthening Europe’s connection to the trade routes envisioned under the IMEC corridor.

Taking place amid heightened tensions between the United States and Iran, and during a particularly sensitive period in the region, the visit underscores India’s commitment to partners with whom it shares deep strategic and geopolitical alignment — both in the near and long term.

An emerging axis includes India, Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Somaliland, Jordan, Israel, Cyprus and Greece — working in coordination with the United States and the European Union to promote stability, infrastructure development and new trade corridors.

In parallel, more complex alignments involving Pakistan, Turkey, Qatar and other regional actors — sometimes operating in coordination with China — continue to shape the strategic landscape, even as many of these countries maintain longstanding ties with Washington.

One of the clearest expressions of these emerging dynamics can be seen in the question of Somaliland versus Somalia. Countries associated with India’s emerging network — including the UAE, Ethiopia and regional partners — are actively advancing the development of the port of Berbera and integrating the Horn of Africa into new trade routes. Meanwhile, states that at times align more closely with the Pakistan-Turkey axis — and in certain contexts also Egypt and Saudi Arabia — tend to support the federal government in Mogadishu. As a result, recognition and investment patterns in the region increasingly serve as a geopolitical indicator of competing visions.

India, the world’s largest democracy, operates alongside Israel — the Middle East’s only democracy — in a broader effort to balance competing regional influences, while Pakistan deepens ties with Turkey and Qatar.

The United Arab Emirates, pursuing a firm stance against Islamist radicalism, is working with Ethiopia to develop infrastructure and ports in the Horn of Africa — particularly Berbera — as part of a new regional logistics framework. At the same time, Ethiopia’s strategic contest with Egypt over Nile waters adds another layer to the evolving alliance structure.

Turkey continues to position itself as a bridge between Asia and Europe, yet faces geopolitical challenges and longstanding tensions with Cyprus and Greece.

The foundation of India-Israel strategic partnership was laid during Modi’s 2017 visit to Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s return visit to India in 2018, which deepened defense, economic and technological cooperation between the two countries.

In early 2026, another visit by Netanyahu to India was planned amid high-level diplomatic engagements and discussions on major trade agreements, but it was postponed in part to manage sensitivities vis-à-vis major powers.

Meanwhile, India has concluded significant trade agreements with both the European Union and the United States, reflecting Modi’s strategy of deepening ties with the West while maintaining working relationships with Russia and China.

This approach has also eased Israel’s strategic environment, as India’s growing alignment with Western economies creates additional space for the India-Israel axis to expand.

Regarding Iran and the tensions between Washington and Tehran, Modi conveys a clear strategic message: despite India’s interests in Iran’s Chabahar port, his regional engagement and public positioning reflect a broader priority — advancing India’s rise as a major power and countering radicalism, even when this requires balancing narrower economic interests.

In this sense, Modi’s visit forms part of a wider process reshaping the geopolitical space between the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean, where ports, trade corridors and security partnerships are becoming key instruments in defining the emerging regional order.

Looking ahead, the visit is expected to deepen political, security and economic cooperation, while expanding collaboration in areas such as space, science, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.

The direction is clear: India is no longer a distant player in Middle Eastern geopolitics — it is becoming one of its architects.

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)