Bureau: Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded a significant two-day visit to Israel, marking his return to the country nine years after his historic 2017 trip, the first-ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister. The latest visit highlighted the deepening diplomatic, economic, and defence cooperation between the two nations.
During the visit, Modi held extensive talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, focusing on boosting defence collaboration, technology partnerships, and trade ties. Both sides discussed joint development and production of defence systems and efforts to finalise a bilateral free trade agreement to enhance economic engagement.
Reaffirming India’s position against terrorism, Modi expressed solidarity with Israel and emphasised the importance of global cooperation to combat extremist threats. The leaders also explored collaboration in emerging sectors such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and innovation.
As part of his itinerary, the Prime Minister paid tribute at Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust memorial, honouring the victims and highlighting shared values of remembrance and peace between the two countries.
The visit also produced tangible outcomes for people-to-people ties, including an agreement allowing up to 50,000 additional Indian workers to be employed in Israel in the coming years, reflecting growing labour and economic cooperation.
Modi addressed Israel’s Parliament, the Knesset, where he emphasised friendship, partnership, and mutual respect between the two ancient civilizations. The visit underscored India’s delicate diplomatic balance of strengthening ties with Israel while continuing to support peace and stability in the region.
The Prime Minister’s visit is widely viewed as a major step in elevating India-Israel relations to a higher strategic level, reinforcing cooperation across defence, technology, innovation, and economic sectors.
