Relevance: GS II (International Relations) | Source: The Hindu

1. What is the Big News?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a major state visit to Israel (February 2026).

• A Historic First: He will be the first Indian Prime Minister to give a speech inside the Knesset (the official Parliament of Israel).
• The Main Goal: To deepen India’s “Strategic Partnership” with Israel. The focus is strictly on technology, defence, and trade, even while the Middle East faces severe regional conflicts.

2. The Master Policy: What is ‘De-hyphenation’?

To understand India’s modern foreign policy, you must know this famous UPSC concept:

• The Old Thinking: In the past, India linked its friendship with Israel to the Palestine issue. If we grew close to Israel, we worried about upsetting Arab nations or Palestine.
• The New Way: Today, India uses a policy called ‘De-hyphenation’. This simply means we treat both relationships as two completely separate tracks.
• In Simple Words: India openly builds strong military and business ties with Israel because it benefits us. At the exact same time, India continues to officially support a peaceful “Two-State Solution” for Palestine. One friendship does not cancel out the other.

3. What is on the Meeting Agenda?

• From Buyers to Makers (‘Make in India’): Israel is one of our biggest weapon suppliers. Now, both countries want to move past just “buying and selling.” They plan to jointly manufacture high-tech weapons (like drones and missiles) right here in India.
• The New Trade Route: Speeding up work on the giant India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC). Israel is a very important geographical stop on this planned global trade highway.
• Protecting Indian Workers: Currently, over 32,000 Indians are working in Israel, mostly in construction. A major goal of this visit is to create strict rules to ensure their physical safety, better pay, and good working conditions.

UPSC Value Box

With reference to India’s foreign policy and West Asian geopolitics, consider the following statements:

1. The ‘I2U2’ initiative is a joint strategic grouping comprising India, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States.
2. India’s policy of ‘De-hyphenation’ in West Asia means aligning its foreign policy exclusively with the Arab League to boycott Israel.
3. The Knesset is the official national legislature (Parliament) of Israel.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 1 and 3 only

(c) 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Correct Answer: (b)