A groundbreaking investigative report has shed light on the extensive connections between the Tata Group and Israel, revealing how India’s largest conglomerate plays a central role in sustaining Israeli military operations and surveillance systems in the occupied Palestinian territories. The report, released in October 2025 by Salam, a New York-based South Asian political collective, has sparked international debate about corporate complicity in conflict zones.
Titled Architects of Occupation: The Tata Group, Indian Capital, and the India-Israel Alliance, the study describes how the Tata Group and Israel are “fundamentally embedded” within a shared defense and digital security architecture. The report alleges that multiple Tata subsidiaries provide critical components that directly support Israeli military operations in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
Defense Manufacturing at the Core
According to the Salam investigation, Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) is at the heart of the Tata Group’s and Israel’s military partnership. TASL manufactures wings for all new F-16 fighter jets and fuselages for AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, both primary aircraft used by the Israeli Air Force in operations over Gaza. Through its collaboration with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), TASL also produces command systems for the Barak-8 missile, which the Israeli Navy actively deploys.
The report emphasizes that these defense collaborations make the Tata Group and Israel’s relationship integral to what activists call “Israel’s occupation economy.” The manufacturing partnership reportedly enables continuous military operations in Palestinian territories, with components produced in India appearing in Israeli weapons.
Armored Vehicles and Ground Operations
The automotive sector represents another dimension of the Tata Group and Israel nexus. Tata Motors, through its subsidiary Jaguar Land Rover, supplies chassis for MDT David light armored vehicles that Israeli security forces extensively use for patrols, raids, and crowd suppression in the occupied West Bank. Over 370 of these armored vehicles currently serve in Israeli military operations, with documentation showing their deployment since 2014 in the Palestinian territories.
Researchers argue that this involvement demonstrates how the Tata Group and Israel’s connection extends beyond abstract corporate partnerships into tangible military hardware that shapes daily life under occupation. The MDT David vehicles, built on Land Rover Defender chassis, have become standard equipment for Israeli forces conducting operations in Palestinian areas.
Tata Group and Israel: Digital Infrastructure of Surveillance
In the technological domain, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has been linked to Project Nimbus, a controversial $1.2 billion Israeli government cloud computing initiative. The Salam report alleges that TCS provides crucial digital infrastructure to Israeli governmental and financial systems, effectively forming “the digital backbone of apartheid”.
Project Nimbus has faced significant international criticism, with former Google and Amazon employees as co-contractors on the project, staging protests and whistleblowing about the system’s potential military applications. In April 2024, approximately 50 employees were terminated after sit-in demonstrations opposing the contract, which they argued empowered surveillance operations in occupied territories.
Historical Context of the Alliance
The relationship between the Tata Group and Israel reflects broader India-Israel strategic convergence. While India initially maintained limited ties with Israel after 1950 diplomatic recognition, the relationship transformed dramatically following secret arms exchanges during India’s 1962 war with China. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration, the partnership intensified substantially, with Modi becoming the first Indian prime minister to visit Israel in 2017.
India has emerged as Israel’s largest arms buyer, receiving 37 percent of Israel’s total arms exports. Between October 2023 and October 2025, India remained among 26 countries exporting arms to Israel despite international allegations of war crimes in Gaza, according to UN Special Rapporteur reports.
The #TataByeBye Campaign
The Salam report emerged alongside the #TataByeBye campaign, launched by activists ahead of the 2024 New York City Marathon, where TCS serves as lead sponsor. Campaign organizers argue that Tata leverages major global events to project corporate benevolence while profiting from occupation. Activists have demanded that the New York Road Runners sever ties with TCS, characterizing sponsorship funds as “blood money”.
As of October 2025, the Tata Group has not issued an official response to the specific allegations outlined in the Salam report. The controversy surrounding the Tata Group and Israel connection continues to intensify as activists, human rights organizations, and international bodies scrutinize corporate complicity in conflict zones. The debate raises fundamental questions about corporate responsibility, arms manufacturing ethics, and the intersection of business interests.
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