The editorial in Israel's respected newspaper Jerusalem Post, ahead of PM Narendra Modi's historic visit to the country -- a first for an Indian PM.


"The increased cooperation comes against a backdrop of broader political changes taking place inside India. The rise to power of Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party has resulted in the assertion of Hindutva or "Hindu-ness,' an unapologetic approach to India's Hindu majority religion and culture. If India's leftists viewed Israel as a "neo-imperialist proxy of America,' BJP supporters -- and Hindus in general -- tend to see Israel as a plucky democracy with a strong, non-Muslim religious identity standing up to nihilistic Islamist terrorists -- not unlike the Indians themselves.

"Many parallels can be drawn between BJP and our Likudled government. Both seek to strengthen what they see as a more authentic national identity -- Hindutva in India, Judaism in Israel -- while maintaining a robust democracy."

Read the full editorial here.