India’s condemnation of Israel’s strikes on Hamas leaders in Qatar is a diplomatic disaster. In a September 10, 2025, telephone call to Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed concern about the violation of Qatar’s sovereignty and international law, albeit without mentioning Israel directly. Modi’s implicit condemnation came despite the fact that Israel had done exactly what India did in its recent war with Pakistan: targeted terrorist leadership and their complexes in a foreign country.
Jerusalem backed New Delhi during the recent India-Pakistan conflict with both words and weapons.
Several factors might color Modi’s reaction. First, he is a friend of the Qatari emir. Second, India’s dependence on Qatar for liquefied natural gas and Qatar’s help winning the release of eight Indian Navy soldiers who faced a death sentence in Qatar on charges of espionage. However, Delhi’s decision is reckless and a disaster for India-Israel relations. Currently, India’s diplomacy faces challenges from deteriorating ties with the United States. India-China ties still suffer from distrust and suspicion, with China maintaining its role as Pakistan’s partner. Russia also feels uneasy about India’s fence-sitting and multi-alignment. Even as India rapidly loses friends, Israel remains an ally and partner. Jerusalem backed New Delhi during the recent India-Pakistan conflict with both words and weapons, especially when India was losing the global narrative battle to Pakistan.
From the security standpoint, India’s decision smacks of ignorance or appeasement of Qatar’s funding of Islamist charities and religious organizations in India. Reportedly, Qatar’s Eid Charity, linked to its royal family, has funded a range of Salafist organizations, promoting forced conversions and religious extremism. Qatar- and Turkey-based extremist elements and Al Qaeda-linked charities have allegedly funded the now-banned terrorist organization, Popular Front of India. Further, Qatar-based Islamist operatives and cyber warriors orchestrated the anti-India propaganda after Nupur Sharma, spokesperson of the ruling Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP), allegedly insulted Prophet Mohammed on a television show. The cyber propaganda unleashed radicalization of Indian Muslims, leading to the murders of approximately forty Hindus for supporting Nupur Sharma on social media. Qatar’s Al Jazeera’s coverage of India-related news developments, like the 2019 abrogation of Kashmir’s special status and 2020 Citizenship Amendment Act, has been biased, leading to embarrassment and humiliation for India. Qatar’s strong ties with India’s rival and Pakistan’s ally, Turkey, pose threats to India’s security and interests.
In India’s domestic politics, Modi’s Hindu nationalist supporters back Israel. Because of Modi’s strong statements on terrorism and radicalization, they naturally believe that India will side with Israel on key geopolitical issues. Several right-wing YouTube channels, podcasters, social media activists, public intellectuals, and think tankers have supported Israeli strikes on Qatar. However, India’s condemnation of Israeli strikes significantly damages Modi’s Hindutva image, which is already under question due to his appeasement of Islamists and moderation in cases like the Waqf amendment bill and Citizenship Amendment Act.
To what extent India’s love for Doha will damage its ties with Israel remains to be seen.
India-Israel bilateral ties already have a stumbling block with Iran. Allegedly, Iran has perpetrated attacks on Israeli diplomats on Indian soil, and reportedly, Israel did not get enough cooperation from the Indian authorities in the investigation. However, despite that, in the view of the necessity and importance of a robust strategic partnership, Israel had accepted India’s oft-quoted excuse of historical and civilizational ties between Iran and India, even though Tehran has always been critical of Modi on Kashmir policy and minority issues. Besides, New Delhi’s Cold War-era romance with Palestine, often witnessed in India’s abstention from United Nations voting on the Israel-Palestine issue, creates subtle frictions. India’s condemnation of Israeli strikes presents Doha as the latest entrant in this club of roadblocks. To what extent India’s love for Doha will damage its ties with Israel remains to be seen.
Finally, India’s move also highlights a contrast between Israel’s popularity among the BJP’s Hindu voter base, and the BJP government’s anti-Israel diplomatic stance on key Israeli interests. Given Qatar’s role in fomenting anti-India Islamist organizations, a question arises: Is India’s support for Qatar purely out of diplomatic considerations or extraneous factors? Qatar’s inroads among India’s bureaucratic and political elites cannot be ignored, especially considering Doha’s history of influence campaigns through financial incentives to think tanks, diplomats, and journalists.
