Israel is India second best friend for Hindi belt youth survey reveals

Israel is viewed as the second best friend of the country in the eyes of the youth of India's Hindi-speaking states, with Russia holding the first position, while in a new survey, 62 percent of people described Israel as a good friend of India. Meanwhile, 57 percent of people believe that Israel stands by India during difficult times. Russia remained ahead in both of these matters. This survey was conducted by the India-Israel Center in New Delhi. Conducted in October 2026, the survey involved questions asked to 1023 individuals aged 21 to 40 years. People were interacted with online and face-to-face in Hindi. The survey took place in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Uttarakhand. These five states account for more than one-third of the country population, which is around 420 million people.

Benefits to India with Israel assistance

In the survey, 42 percent of people described Israel as a country contributing to India development. In terms of trust, Israel stood at the third position, with 57 percent of people expressing trust in it. Russia and Japan were ahead of it in this regard, while the United States, France, UAE, and Singapore lagged behind Israel. The survey revealed that those who have information about the cooperation between India and Israel trust Israel more. Among such individuals, 75 percent reposed trust in Israel. Conversely, among those who lacked information about this cooperation, this figure stood at 43 percent. Similarly, 83 percent of informed individuals believed that cooperation with Israel in the fields of defense and technology is beneficial for India. Among those unaware of this, 46 percent shared this view. A total of 63 percent of people stated that Israel is ahead in technology, compared to 51 percent in the May 2026 survey.

Cooperation in agriculture and defense deemed crucial

The survey showed that 61 percent of people considered defense and technology cooperation with Israel beneficial for India, with 30 percent labeling it as very beneficial. On top of that, 60 percent of people deemed cooperation with Israel in agriculture, water, and trade as essential. Among those aware of the cooperation with Israel, this figure was 75 percent. With Israel assistance, 35 Centers of Excellence in agriculture have been established in India, out of which four are in the Hindi belt. These are located in Basti and Kannauj in Uttar Pradesh, and Vaishali and Nalanda in Bihar. Here, farmers are taught techniques of drip irrigation, fertigation, and safe farming methods.

50 percent want stronger relations between the two nations

In the survey, 50 percent of people stated that relations between India and Israel should be strengthened further. 28 percent of people favored maintaining existing relations, while 13 percent wanted them reduced. In the May 2026 survey, 41 percent were in favor of strengthening ties and 20 percent wanted them reduced. 62 billion dollars in the previous year. In September 2025, both nations signed an investment agreement, and two rounds of talks regarding a free trade agreement took place in 2026. In Gorakhpur, 91 percent of people, and in Varanasi, 88 percent of people expressed trust in Israel. According to the report, contact between the two nations has increased due to agricultural cooperation and employment opportunities for Indians in Israel in these cities, while however, the report didn't attribute this to a single reason, stating that the more informed people are about India-Israel cooperation, the more positive their opinions are.