In the theatre of global geopolitics, nations often find allies not only through shared values but through shared adversities. India and Israel—two democracies, millennia-old civilizations reborn in the cauldron of modern statehood—are more than strategic partners. They are kindred spirits in a world that often rewards weakness and punishes strength. The bond between the two is not merely transactional; it is existential. And at the core of their shared threat lies a deeply entrenched, hydra-headed menace: Islamic terrorism.
But behind the masked gunmen, suicide bombers, and radical clerics stands a shadow puppeteer—China.
Yes, it is time we call a spade a spade. It is time we lift the veil of pretentious diplomacy and acknowledge an uncomfortable truth. Islamic terrorism may wear the face of jihadist groups like Hamas, Lashkar-e-Taiba, or Jaish-e-Mohammed, but the fuel, the logistics, the money trail, and the geopolitical cover often lead back to one nation seeking to destabilize the world order: Communist China.
India faces it in Kashmir and across the borders of Pakistan. Israel combats it every day—whether it’s rockets from Gaza, knife-wielding radicals in Jerusalem, or Iranian-funded terror cells in Lebanon. Both countries are forced to defend their borders, their citizens, and their very existence not just from radical Islamic terrorism but also from the ecosystem that sustains it.
This ecosystem is a triangle. The foot soldiers of terror are the radical Islamists—motivated by twisted interpretations of faith. The enablers are rogue states like Iran and Pakistan—nations that fund, arm, and provide safe havens to these extremists. But the silent third point of this triangle—the master strategist—is China.
China’s role is not overt like that of Iran or Pakistan. It is subtle, shadowy, and sinister. It is embedded in strategic investments, cyber warfare, political subversion, and weaponized diplomacy at the United Nations Security Council. China plays the long game, and in that game, destabilizing India and Israel is not a means—it is an end.
Let’s decode China’s motives. China views both India and Israel as obstacles to its global ambitions. India is its only credible challenger in Asia—a growing economy, a powerful military, and a democratic model that threatens the Chinese narrative of authoritarian efficiency. Israel, on the other hand, is the technological powerhouse that punches way above its weight, disrupting China’s global technology ambitions.
The question is—how does China strike without striking? The answer is asymmetric warfare.
Beijing knows that it cannot afford direct military confrontation—not yet. But what it can do is bleed its adversaries by supporting those who are already at war with them. It is no coincidence that China is the all-weather friend of Pakistan—a nation that has become the breeding ground for Islamic terrorism. Nor is it surprising that China continues to block India’s attempts at the UN to blacklist known terrorists like Masood Azhar.
China speaks the language of peace in Geneva while its proxies speak the language of jihad in Kashmir and Gaza.
While much has been written about Iran’s funding of Hamas and Hezbollah, there’s a new axis emerging—an axis where China plays the role of an invisible hand. In recent years, Chinese state-backed entities have increased their outreach in regions heavily influenced by radical Islamist groups. Chinese weapons have been traced in the hands of terror outfits in Africa and the Middle East. The technology used for cyber-surveillance and facial recognition has ended up not only in police states but in the arsenals of non-state actors.
Don’t be surprised. China doesn’t care who holds the gun—as long as that gun is pointed at its adversaries.
The October 7, 2023 Hamas terror attack on Israel, which saw over 1,200 innocent civilians brutally murdered, was not just a Hamas operation. It was a message from the terror nexus. It bore the hallmark of Iranian training, Pakistani-style brutality, and Chinese indifference at the global stage. The silence from Beijing was deafening. The crocodile tears from Pakistan predictable. And the weaponization of propaganda in Western academia almost choreographed.
When the world cried for Israeli victims, China spoke of “restraint.” When Indian tourists are brutally killed in Kashmir, China speaks of “regional peace.” And when terror apologists justify the killing of innocents, Beijing remains conveniently neutral. This is not neutrality. This is complicity.
India and Israel must recognize that they are not fighting isolated battles. They are fighting different faces of the same monster. And defeating that monster requires more than military might—it requires strategic convergence.
The India-Israel alliance must go beyond defense deals and diplomatic visits. It must become an intelligence-sharing, joint-strategy, counter-narrative force. A war room of democratic resilience.
Let India provide boots-on-ground experience from counterinsurgency operations in Kashmir, and let Israel bring its cutting-edge counterterrorism technologies and cyber defense frameworks to the table. Let the two nations build a joint doctrine that can be exported to every democracy under threat—from Africa to Latin America.
China must be called out—not just in private discussions or think-tank white papers—but at the United Nations, at G20 summits, and in bilateral forums. Let Beijing know that its silent war will be met with loud resistance.
Let’s be clear. This is not a war against Islam. Islam, like any other religion, is a claimed path to God. But when Islam is hijacked by radicals and weaponized by state and non-state actors for political gain, it ceases to be a religion—it becomes a tool of terror.
And behind every radicalized group, there is a funding trail. Behind every funding trail, there is a geopolitical calculation. And behind that calculation, more often than not, is China’s grand plan for a world ruled not by freedom, but by fear.
India and Israel—two nations that rose from the ashes of colonialism and genocide—will not bow to fear. They will fight, not just for themselves, but for every nation that values liberty, life, and light.
The time for polite diplomacy is over. The enemy has shown his face—one side wears a keffiyeh, the other a red star. Both are threats. Both must be confronted.
Because if India and Israel don’t lead this fight, who will?
