New Delhi’s Mirror: India’s Adoption of Israeli Tactics
Zoom out for a second: The Modi administration’s deepening ties with Israel extend far beyond the procurement of military hardware. What is emerging is a systematic application of policies and tactics perfected in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, now visible in India’s approach to Kashmir and its internal surveillance. This transfer of methodology is not merely transactional; it signifies a
dangerous ideological convergence. The targeting of dissent, the use of invasive surveillance technologies, and the demolition of civilian structures, these are not new strategies. They are hallmarks of Israel's prolonged occupation, now being embraced by a state with a population of 1.4 billion. Consider the Pegasus spyware scandal, where Amnesty International’s 2021 investigation confirmed its
use against activists, journalists, and opposition figures in India. This echoes decades of Israeli development in surveillance, often tested and refined on Palestinians, before being exported globally. The shift from India’s historical support for Palestinian self-determination to its current alignment with Israeli statecraft is a telling indicator of a broader right-wing ascendancy, mirroring
the settler-colonial impulses often associated with Zionism. This adoption is particularly evident in Kashmir, where India's 2019 abrogation of Article 370 stripped the region of its semi-autonomous status. This move was followed by a military lockdown, communications blackouts, and widespread arrests, tactics chillingly reminiscent of Israeli collective punishment and control in Gaza and the West