What Happened
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that PM Narendra Modi will visit Israel on February 25-26, 2026, making it a two-day state visit.
- Netanyahu made the announcement while addressing the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organisations, calling the India-Israel partnership a "tremendous alliance."
- This will be PM Modi's first visit to Israel during his third term and his second visit overall, after the landmark July 2017 trip.
- PM Modi is expected to address the Knesset (Israeli Parliament), a significant diplomatic gesture.
- Key agenda items include defence co-production deals, progress on the India-Israel Free Trade Agreement, the security situation in West Asia (post-Gaza conflict), and regional and global developments.
Static Topic Bridges
India-Israel Diplomatic Relations: From Recognition to Strategic Partnership
India recognised Israel on September 17, 1950, but full diplomatic relations were not established until January 29, 1992, under Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao's government. The delay was driven by India's solidarity with the Palestinian cause, its Non-Aligned Movement commitments, and the need to maintain ties with Arab oil-exporting nations. The 1992 normalisation opened the door for defence and agricultural cooperation, which became the twin pillars of the bilateral relationship. In 2017, PM Modi's visit elevated the relationship to a "Strategic Partnership."
- 1950: India recognises Israel; 1992: Full diplomatic relations established.
- Despite the absence of formal ties before 1992, Israel provided military assistance to India during the 1962 Sino-Indian War and the 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pakistani Wars.
- India voted in favour of the UN General Assembly resolution recognising Palestine as a state in 2012.
- India maintains a "de-hyphenated" approach — engaging both Israel and Palestine independently since 2018.
- Bilateral trade grew from $200 million (1992) to over $10 billion (2024-25).
Connection to this news: The February 2026 visit continues the trajectory of deepening engagement that began with the 2017 Strategic Partnership declaration, with expanded scope now covering defence co-production, FTA negotiations, and technology collaboration.
India-Israel Defence Cooperation
Defence cooperation forms the most significant dimension of India-Israel relations. Israel is India's second-largest arms supplier after Russia. Cooperation spans unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), missile systems (Barak-8 co-developed by DRDO and IAI), radar and electronic warfare systems, and border security solutions. A landmark defence cooperation agreement signed in 2025 enables sharing of advanced technology for co-development and co-production of defence equipment.
- Israel supplied the Barak-8 missile defence system (co-developed with DRDO under a $6 billion programme).
- The Heron and Searcher UAVs from Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) are operational with all three Indian armed forces.
- Israel supplied the SPICE-2000 precision-guided bombs used during the 2019 Balakot air strikes.
- India-Israel defence trade was valued at approximately $600 million annually by 2016, expanding significantly since.
- The 2025 agreement shifted focus from buyer-seller to co-development and co-production.
Connection to this news: Defence co-production deals are a primary agenda item for the February 25-26 visit, reflecting the shift from a buyer-seller model toward joint development of advanced military technologies.
India-Israel Free Trade Agreement (FTA) Negotiations
India and Israel have been discussing a bilateral trade agreement since 2010, but formal negotiations stalled for over a decade. In November 2025, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and Israeli Economy Minister Nir Barkat signed the Terms of Reference to guide FTA negotiations. The FTA is expected to cover goods, services, investment, customs simplification, technology transfer, and collaboration in sectors including defence, space, fintech, agritech, AI, and cybersecurity.
- FTA negotiations revived in November 2025 after being pending since 2010.
- First round of formal negotiations planned for end of February 2026, coinciding with the visit timeline.
- Negotiations structured in two stages: "low-hanging fruit" areas first, then complex issues.
- Israel aims to finalise the FTA within 2026.
- Key sectors: IT services, tourism, BPO, drip irrigation technology, diamonds (India is the world's largest diamond cutting and polishing hub; Israel is a major diamond trading centre).
Connection to this news: PM Modi's visit provides the highest-level political push to accelerate FTA negotiations that were revived just three months ago, with the first round of talks scheduled to coincide with the visit.
Key Facts & Data
- Visit dates: February 25-26, 2026 (two-day state visit).
- PM Modi's second visit to Israel; first was in July 2017.
- First Indian PM to visit Israel was PM Modi in 2017.
- India-Israel diplomatic relations: recognised 1950, full ties 1992 (34 years of engagement).
- Strategic Partnership declared in 2017.
- Israel is India's second-largest arms supplier (after Russia).
- Bilateral trade: over $10 billion (2024-25).
- FTA Terms of Reference signed: November 2025.
- Netanyahu quote: "India is enormously powerful, enormously popular."