PM Modi’s Historic 48-Hour Israel Mission Decoded
4 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Feb 25, 2026 08:02 PM IST
As India and Israel look to elevate their strategic partnership, Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Tel Aviv Wednesday on a two-day visit. He is meeting Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu and the two sides are expected to sign a slew of pacts in the economic, security and diplomatic spheres to deepen bilateral ties.
Modi’s visit to Israel is taking place amid turmoil in the region, talk of a potential US strike on Iran should negotiations fail in Geneva and US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace initiative to rebuild Gaza and deploy an international stabilisation force in the ravaged Strip. India has stayed away from the Board and attended its first meeting as an observer.
Modi was received by Netanyahu and his wife Sara at the Ben Gurion international airport in Tel Aviv, and the two leaders held a private meeting there after the welcome ceremony. They will meet Thursday for official bilateral talks.
Modi, in a post on X, said, “Had an excellent meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu. Expressed gratitude to him for the warm welcome earlier in the day. It is a delight to be back in Israel after 9 years. We discussed a wide range of subjects aimed at boosting bilateral ties. Sectors such as technology, water management, agriculture, talent partnership and more offer immense scope for close collaboration. We also discussed key developments in the region.”
“I am extremely honoured to be received by Prime Minister Netanyahu and Mrs Netanyahu at the airport. I look forward to engaging in bilateral discussions and fruitful outcomes that strengthen the India-Israel friendship,” he said.
Welcoming him at the airport, Netanyahu said, “This is a bond of real friendship! My wife Sara and I welcomed today our good friend, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi, who has arrived for another historic visit to Israel. Prime Minister Modi previously visited Israel in 2017, and I later paid a reciprocal visit to India that was truly exceptional.”
“We share a close personal relationship, speak often, and I believe that the deep friendship between us powerfully reflects on the ties between our two countries,” he said, adding they will attend a festive reception at the Knesset, visit an innovation event in Jerusalem, and host Prime Minister Modi for a joint dinner.
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“Tomorrow we will visit Yad Vashem, and afterwards hold another meeting together with our teams, during which we will sign a series of agreements in the economic, security, and diplomatic spheres that will further advance cooperation between Israel and India,” Netanyahu said.
When Modi visited Israel in July 2017, the India-Israel bilateral relationship was elevated to ‘Strategic Partnership’. Now, the plan is to elevate this partnership. India and Israel share a robust strategic partnership with strong cooperation across science and technology, innovation, defence and security, trade and investment, agriculture, water and people-to-people contact.
Modi is skipping a visit to Palestinian Authority-governed Ramallah in the West Bank again, as he did during his visit to Israel in 2017. He went to Ramallah in February 2018 on a separate bilateral visit. At that time, New Delhi had framed it as a de-hyphenation of the Israel-Palestine issue, staying committed to a two-state solution.
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