From the outset, the visit to Israel by India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, was questionable in its timing – months ahead of elections and at a moment when most world leaders are avoiding visits to the country or meetings with prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, widely regarded as politically toxic to their public image. This is so even as, despite condemnations of the brutality of Israel’s war in Gaza and the ethnic cleansing in the West Bank, many of those same leaders continue to do business with Israel as usual.Yet the first day of the visit exceeded anything one might have imagined from a trip by the leader of one of the world’s largest and most important countries. In fact, it stands out as one of the most baffling – and embarrassing – visits by a foreign leader to Israel in recent memory.Prime minister Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, are not merely spouses but political partners, currently in the midst of an election campaign in which Modi served largely as a prop. When Modi’s plane landed at Ben Gurion Airport, he was greeted by Netanyahu – heavily made up, like a theatrical actor – and by Sara, who wore an orange-saffron suit, a color symbolising holiness in Hinduism. In a photograph Netanyahu posted on X, he can be seen pointing to his wife’s outfit; both of them also shared an image and a video of Modi warmly embracing Netanyahu.My wife Sara and I welcomed today our good friend, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi, who has arrived for another historic visit to Israel.Prime Minister Modi previously visited Israel in 2017, and I later paid a reciprocal visit to India that was truly exceptional.We… pic.twitter.com/d7mrCa3tQR— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) February 25, 2026On the morning of the visit, Netanyahu’s office issued a statement that effectively presented Modi not as an official guest of the State of Israel but rather as a private guest of the Netanyahu family. The statement said Modi had arrived at Netanyahu’s invitation, noting that the two leaders “maintain a close personal relationship, and that the deep and long-standing friendship between them powerfully radiates onto relations between the two countries.” It also announced that a “personal meeting” would take place, followed by a joint dinner hosted by the Netanyahu couple. The language fits neatly with the authoritarian trajectory Netanyahu has taken in recent years, one in which no distinction exists between him and the state. The State of Israel is him – and without him, there is nothing.Prime minister Modi sought to address the Knesset, despite the fact that it no longer functions as a democratic institution but rather as a rubber stamp for Netanyahu. Opposition parties announced in advance that they would boycott the event after the speaker of the Knesset, Amir Ohana – widely regarded as Netanyahu’s puppet – violated protocol by refusing to invite the president of the Supreme Court, whom the government has been boycotting while conducting an incitement campaign against him.To prevent the plenary hall from appearing empty, Speaker Ohana invited former members of Knesset to fill the opposition benches. Among them was Oren Hazan, who was exposed by the Israeli media as having run a casino in Bulgaria that also provided escort services, while he was using hard drugs, and who later confessed in a plea deal to assaulting a mayor after his mother’s bank account was frozen. He was joined by Pnina Rosenblum, a cosmetics businesswoman who occasionally records and releases war-themed songs drenched in heavy Auto-Tune – this time, at least, she limited herself to a selfie with Modi and did not break into song.Despite this spectacle, Modi chose to proceed with his speech as planned, addressing an audience that included political clowns, racist coalition lawmakers, and government ministers who had called to burn, kill, starve, and expel all residents of the Gaza Strip. Absurdly, Modi found himself expressing condolences to the families of those killed in the Hamas massacre of October 7 before government and coalition members who for more than two years have refused to take any responsibility for the massacre, for their policy of approving Hamas funding that helped lead to it, and who also opposed any deal to release the hostages while waging a vicious incitement campaign against the families of both the hostages and the dead.One of the most embarrassing moments of Modi’s visit to the Knesset came when Speaker Ohana presented him with the “Knesset Medal,” purportedly for his “contribution to the State of Israel and the Jewish people,” calling it “the highest honor the Knesset can bestow.” In reality, this was a complete fabrication: no such decoration exists in any Knesset regulation or in Israeli law. Modi posted on X that “it is a great honor for me to receive the Knesset Medal. I accept it with humility and deep gratitude. This is not an honor for one individual, but an expression of the strong and enduring friendship between India and Israel. It reflects the shared values that guide our two nations.” One can only hope that the shared values of the two countries are not rooted in deception.The day concluded with the promised dinner with the Netanyahu couple. As part of his election campaign, Netanyahu posted a video on X showing him “surprising” Prime Minister Modi, as he describe it, by receiving him in “traditional Indian attire.” Netanyahu added that it was “our” dinner – once again framing the event as a private affair, even though it was funded by Israeli taxpayers.For decades, Israel has offered countries in return to seeking closer ties with it two “packages”: the first – arms and assistance in internal security; the second – help in improving relations with the White House and the U.S. Congress.In the future, journalists, Prime Minister Modi himself, or declassified cables in state archives may shed light on the logic behind this peculiar visit. For now, it is reasonable to assume that it was the second package that mattered. Despite claims that the visit was intended to finalise defense deals, India has for many years been one of the world’s most important customers of Israel’s arms industry. Prime Minister Modi does not need to travel personally to Jerusalem for Israel to agree to sell him more weapons. It is therefore reasonable to conclude that Modi primarily sought Netanyahu’s help in addressing his strained relationship with President Trump.Whatever the reason for the visit, prime minister Modi humiliated both himself and India. He acted and spoke like the leader of a minor state visiting a global power, desperate to curry favour. It should come as no surprise if images from the visit are later featured prominently in Netanyahu’s election campaign.Eitay Mack is an Israeli human rights lawyer who has filed petitions to the Supreme Court that helped reveal details of Israel’s involvement in Lebanon.Note: The article has been edited to clarify the nature of the statement issued by the Israeli prime minister’s office and to delete an earlier reference to the absence of most opposition members in the Knesset. Israeli newspapers this morning have reported that the opposition MKs backed down and returned to hear Modi’s speech.