The Modi-Bibi bonhomie rests on much more than personal chemistry, or even the Israeli military-industrial complex’s significant role in servicing Indian needs. It is rooted in the profound admiration of generations of Hindu nationalists for Zionism and its product, Israel, whose model of nation-state they seek to emulate in India.

India’s Prime Minister Modi, his ruling BJP party, the RSS movement, and their intertwined actions can teach us all a lot about what Zionism is, how how both Zionism and Hindutva work to create and defend an exclusivist, ethno/sectarian-nationalist state.

Even though these differences exist between the histories of India and Israel, Kashmiris have expressed solidarity with Palestine because of a sense of resonance with their own experiences. While effective United Nations interventions are needed for Kashmiris and Palestinians, their resistance against these settler/(post) colonial projects continue.

Franklin Foer of the Atlantic lists the authoritarian leaders who are a lot like Trump and leaves Netanyahu off the list. While David Brooks pointedly includes Netanyahu on his list of populist leaders.