JERUSALEM – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi kicked off a two-day visit to Israel on Wednesday aimed at focusing on strengthening security, economic and technological cooperation between the two countries.
The Indian leader stepped out of the plane beaming and descended the staircase to a big hug from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accompanied by his wife, Sara Netanyahu.
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The warm greeting underscored how much closer Israel-India relations have grown under Modi, whose embrace of Israel has marked a shift in India’s foreign policy. India has historically supported the Palestinians, and did not establish full diplomatic ties with Israel until 1992.
Netanyahu’s office released a statement lauding the leaders’ “close personal relationship” and “deep and long-standing friendship” in a welcome message. The visit is likely to give Israel a boost of international support after seeing relations with many of its allies deteriorate since the war in Gaza began in October 2023.
Modi was to hold talks with Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog, address the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, and visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial center. Netanyahu's office said that the two leaders would sign myriad economic, security and political cooperation agreements.
“Our nations share a robust and multifaceted Strategic Partnership,” Modi wrote on X before landing in Tel Aviv. “Ties have significantly strengthened in the last few years.”
In addition to being a powerful ally, India is also Israel’s No. 2 trading partner in Asia. Total trade between India and Israel was valued at $3.62 billion in the 2025 fiscal year, according to India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Modi became India’s first prime minister to travel to Israel in 2017, and Netanyahu reciprocated with a trip to India the following year.
Netanyahu told a Cabinet meeting on Sunday that economic and security issues will be high on the leaders’ agenda, as will sharing technology, including artificial intelligence and quantum computing.
“We are partners in innovation, security, and a shared strategic vision,” Netanyahu said on the social platform X ahead of Modi’s arrival. “Together, we are building an axis of nations committed to stability and progress.”
A staunch Hindu nationalist, Modi was one of the first global leaders to swiftly express solidarity with Israel following the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by the Palestinian militant Hamas group that triggered the war in Gaza.
India was also among more than 100 countries earlier this month to condemn Israel’s newly approved measures to deepen its control over the occupied West Bank and weaken the already limited powers of the Palestinian Authority.