India’s Diplomatic Balancing Act in a Fragmented Middle East

As the Middle East experiences one of the most unstable periods in its recent history, India continues to pursue a unique diplomatic strategy that enables it to strengthen its relations simultaneously with Israel, the Gulf states, and Iran. This approach, highlighted during a lecture by Dr. Rotem Geva, a specialist in modern India at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, illustrates the rise of a global power that refuses to choose sides and instead prioritizes its national interests.

Since gaining independence in 1947, India has built its foreign policy around the principle of non-alignment, developed by the country’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. Rejecting alignment with either bloc during the Cold War, New Delhi sought to preserve its strategic autonomy while positioning itself as a voice for newly decolonized nations.

“Today, this doctrine has evolved. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the influence of Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, India now speaks of ‘strategic autonomy’ and ‘multi-alignment.’ According to this vision, the world is no longer dominated by a single power but is gradually becoming multipolar. In this context, India seeks to maintain as many partnerships as possible without becoming tied to exclusive alliances,” explains Dr. Rotem Geva.

  Dr. Rotem Geva

This approach allows New Delhi to cooperate with Washington while maintaining close ties with Moscow, deepen relations with Israel while preserving strategic dialogue with Iran, and expand partnerships with Gulf monarchies without abandoning its traditional support for the Palestinian cause.

A Historic and Complex Relationship with Israel

Relations between Israel and India have undergone a remarkable transformation over the past three decades.

“For many years, Indian leaders viewed the Zionist project with caution. The founders of independent India, influenced by anti-colonialism and their proximity to the Arab world, often saw the Palestinian question through the lens of struggles against imperialism. Mahatma Gandhi himself expressed sympathy in 1938 for the suffering of the Jewish people while opposing the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine under British protection,” says Dr. Geva.

As a result, India maintained a policy largely supportive of the Palestinians for several decades. The turning point came in 1992 with the establishment of full diplomatic relations between India and Israel. The end of the Cold War, the collapse of the Soviet Union, and India’s economic liberalization prompted New Delhi to reassess its priorities. Since then, bilateral ties have steadily expanded.

A Strategic Partnership on the Rise

Today, Israel has become one of India’s most important strategic partners across several sectors.

Defense cooperation constitutes one of the pillars of this relationship. Israel is among India’s leading suppliers of military technology, while the two countries are increasingly engaged in joint research, production, and innovation projects in the defense sector.

According to Dr. Geva, the relationship has evolved beyond the traditional buyer-seller model into a genuine strategic partnership. India’s objective is increasingly to manufacture defense systems domestically as part of the government’s “Make in India” initiative.

Beyond defense, cooperation is expanding in agriculture, water management, climate technologies, cybersecurity, and innovation ecosystems. Human and economic exchanges are also growing, including the increasing presence of Indian workers in Israel, particularly in the caregiving and construction sectors.

Iran: An Indispensable Partner

Despite its growing ties with Israel and the United States, India continues to place significant strategic importance on its relationship with Iran.

“For many years, Iran was one of India’s primary energy suppliers. Although international sanctions have reduced these exchanges, the relationship remains important. One of the key elements is the Iranian port of Chabahar, developed with Indian investment. This project gives India access to Afghanistan and Central Asia without passing through Pakistan, its principal regional rival. Through this maritime and land corridor, New Delhi bypasses a neighbor with whom it has had difficult relations since the 1947 partition,” explains Dr. Geva.

Iran therefore remains a central component of India’s broader geopolitical strategy in Asia.

The Gulf States: Essential Economic Partners

At the same time, India has significantly strengthened its ties with the Gulf monarchies.

The United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and other Gulf states now play a crucial role in India’s economy.

They provide a substantial share of the energy resources required to sustain India’s growth, host nearly nine million Indian expatriate workers, and invest heavily in Indian infrastructure projects.

This cooperation has continued despite recurring criticism directed at the Modi government regarding the treatment of certain Muslim minorities in India.

For Gulf states, economic and strategic interests largely outweigh ideological differences.

IMEC: A Project That Could Transform the Region

This convergence of interests between India, Israel, and the Gulf states has given rise to one of the most ambitious geopolitical initiatives of recent years: the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC).

Announced during the G20 Summit in New Delhi in September 2023, the project aims to establish a vast network connecting India to Europe through the Gulf and Israel. The corridor would combine ports, railways, energy infrastructure, communication cables, and logistics hubs.

In practical terms, goods would travel from India to the Arabian Peninsula, cross Gulf countries by land, reach Israel through Jordan, and then continue to Europe via the Port of Haifa.

For Israel, the project represents a major strategic opportunity. The country could become a regional hub for trade, digital data flows, advanced technologies, and energy infrastructure.

The Impact of October 7

The October 7, 2023 attacks and the subsequent war have significantly disrupted this momentum.

According to Dr. Geva, the conflict has slowed the implementation of the corridor by complicating prospects for normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia, a key component of the project.

Nevertheless, IMEC has not disappeared. On the contrary, recurring tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and disruptions to global maritime trade have increased interest in alternative routes linking Asia and Europe.

For India, stability in the Middle East remains a strategic necessity. Any regional crisis drives up energy prices, threatens the safety of millions of Indian workers in the region, and disrupts supply chains critical to India’s economic growth.

A Power That Rejects Binary Choices

One of the key lessons of the conference is that India increasingly rejects bloc politics.

While many powers continue to think in terms of exclusive alliances, New Delhi has adopted a pragmatic strategy centered on diversifying its partnerships. Its ability to maintain dialogue simultaneously with Israel, the Arab world, Iran, the United States, Russia, and Europe has become one of India’s greatest diplomatic strengths.

In an increasingly fragmented world, India’s strategy may well become a model for other emerging powers seeking to preserve their freedom of action while maximizing their national interests.

Caroline Haïat