Gen Z considers India's defence ties with Israel to be better than US, France: India Israel Centre

New Delhi, A pan-Indian survey of Gen Z highlighted a "perceptible recalibration in generational awareness" among the youth who consider Israel to be among the top five nations in diplomatic ties and among the top three in defence cooperation, ahead of traditional allies such as the US and France, the India Israel Centre said.

Recent cultural narratives, pop culture touchpoints and podcasts have begun bringing to light Israel's critical role in delivering emergency laser-guided munitions and surveillance support to Indian armed forces, rapidly changing perceptions of who India's time-tested allies are, according to a statement by the India Israel Centre.

As per the survey, 52 per cent of respondents aged 18-29 believed India-Israel defence ties to be robust, placing Israel third alongside other countries, including Russia. France was slightly behind with 51 per cent and the US at 46 per cent.

The survey also found that 41 per cent of respondents placed Israel among India's key diplomatic partners, ahead of the US at 39 per cent. The statement did not mention other countries that were top of the rankings in diplomatic and defence ties.

The findings, released on September 16, are based on a study conducted using AI platforms, the statement said.

With a substantial portion of Gen Z born after the 1999 Kargil conflict, popular historical perception had largely associated India's legacy defence with being backed by powers like Russia and the US, it said.

"However, recent cultural narratives, pop culture touchpoints and podcasts have begun bridging this knowledge gap by bringing to light Israel's critical role in delivering emergency laser-guided munitions and surveillance support to Indian armed forces during the war, rapidly altering youthful perceptions of who India's time-tested allies are," it added.

It further said defence and technological innovation were emerging as the main drivers of young Indians' perceptions of the bilateral relationship, with Israel recording a five percentage-point increase in its defence rating over the previous year.

"The encouraging survey results are a powerful reflection of the deep-rooted trust and affection between the people of India and Israel," India Israel Centre spokesperson Suresh Nakhua said.

He said the findings also reflected "growing public awareness and appreciation" of the bilateral relationship.

The India Israel Centre said the 22-25 age group was the most receptive to stronger India-Israel cooperation, and claimed there had been a fourfold increase in respondents advocating substantially stronger future bilateral ties.

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