PM Modi to Visit Israel on Feb 25–26, Announces Netanyahu

February 16, 2026

New Delhi: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Israel for a two-day visit from February 25 to 26.

Netanyahu made the announcement while addressing the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organisations. “Who’s coming here next week? Narendra Modi,” he said, highlighting the strong ties between the two nations.

‘Tremendous Alliance Between Israel and India’

Speaking about bilateral relations, Netanyahu described India as “enormously powerful” and stressed the “tremendous alliance” between Israel and India. He said discussions would focus on expanding cooperation across multiple sectors.

Key Focus Areas of the Visit

PM Modi’s visit is expected to inject fresh momentum into strategic, defence, and technological ties. This will be his first visit to Israel during his third term in office.

The Prime Minister had last visited Israel in 2017, marking 25 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries. During that trip, both leaders discussed defence collaboration, cybersecurity, agriculture, water management, and counter-terrorism cooperation.

This time, talks are expected to cover the evolving security situation in West Asia, along with regional and global developments.

Growing Economic and Defence Cooperation

India and Israel have strengthened economic ties in recent months. The two countries signed a Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) during the visit of Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich in September.

Earlier, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal visited Israel, where both sides signed a Terms of Reference (TOR) towards a Free Trade Agreement (FTA). A landmark agreement was also inked to enhance defence, industrial and technological cooperation, promoting co-development and co-production of advanced technologies.

Strategic Partnership Deepens

India-Israel ties have steadily expanded over the past decade, spanning defence procurement, agriculture innovation, water conservation technologies, cybersecurity, and high-tech manufacturing.

The upcoming visit is expected to further consolidate the strategic partnership between the two nations amid shifting geopolitical dynamics in West Asia.