JERUSALEM: India and Israel agreed to accelerate work on a free trade agreement and expand defence cooperation during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day visit, aimed at strengthening bilateral ties.
Modi said New Delhi would soon finalise a mutually beneficial trade pact with Tel Aviv. He added that both countries would pursue joint development, production and technology transfer in defence. “India and Israel are clear that there is no place for terrorism in the world. We will oppose it shoulder to shoulder,” Modi told reporters alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Netanyahu’s office confirmed that the two leaders will sign agreements covering economic, security and diplomatic fields. Modi also met Israeli President Isaac Herzog, describing their talks as “extremely fruitful and wide-ranging.” Herzog posted in Hebrew and Hindi that “the people of Israel and India are stronger together,” to which Modi replied that the friendship had immense scope in areas such as technology, innovation and startups.
India’s government said trade talks opened in New Delhi earlier this week, noting that merchandise trade between the two countries reached $3.62 billion in 2024–25. Modi’s visit included an address to the Israeli parliament, where he affirmed India’s support for peace and regional stability, though he did not directly mention the casualties in Gaza.
Netanyahu recently listed India among a “hexagon of alliances” alongside Greece, Cyprus and several Arab, African and Asian nations, describing them as partners against radical threats.
