Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said India and Israel have elevated their bilateral ties to the status of a special strategic partnership, saying the “historic decision” reflects the aspirations of the people of the two countries whose relations are based on “deep trust, shared democratic values and humanitarian ties”.
“In today’s meeting, we discussed giving new direction and greater momentum to our cooperation,” Modi said in a joint press conference with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu after the delegation-level talks between the two leaders in Jerusalem.
The discussions covered a wide range of areas including defense and security, technology and innovation; Cyber security; Trade, Investment and Connectivity; agriculture, water and environmental protection; countering terrorism and promoting peace; parliamentary cooperation; Health; Education; and people-to-people exchanges.
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“The leaders noted the immense progress made in India-Israel bilateral relations in various fields, including emerging technologies, cyber, agriculture, water management, health, entrepreneurship, defence, security and others. Prime Minister Netanyahu and Prime Minister Modi agreed and decided to take the strategic partnership to a new level – ‘a special strategic partnership for peace, innovation and prosperity’,” a joint statement issued in Jerusalem said.
Later in a special press briefing, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said the US-Iran tensions and the overall regional situation were discussed in the discussions between the two prime ministers.
“Prime Minister (Modi) reiterated India’s strong belief in the value of dialogue and the peaceful resolution of all such issues. He also reiterated India’s readiness to extend its support for peaceful resolution of the issues,” Misri said.
On a question about what role India can play in post-conflict reconstruction of Gaza, he said, “We see a role. Exactly what that role will be depends on a little more clarity on how things develop on the ground in Gaza. I am not going to speculate at this time about the exact areas we might come into, but India has very specific capabilities and capacities that will be quite relevant in a situation like the situation seen on the ground in Gaza. We have the capacity to contribute.” He added.
India, Israel relations have ‘stood the test of time’
A number of outcomes were finalized during the talks, including in the areas of technology, science, trade, financial services, artificial intelligence, cyber security, agriculture, blue economy, labor mobility, education and culture.
The results included 17 memoranda of understanding or agreements and 10 other announcements, including an announcement to elevate the relationship to a special strategic partnership.
“Our relations have stood the test of time. Our economic cooperation is serving as an engine of growth, innovation and shared prosperity. Last year, we signed a bilateral investment agreement to promote mutual investment. We will also soon finalize a mutually beneficial free trade agreement,” Modi said at a press briefing.
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The leaders expressed their commitment to realizing the FTA and tasked the negotiating teams to accelerate negotiations for an early conclusion, the statement said.
Modi said, technology is at the center of the future partnership between the two countries.
“Today, we have decided to establish a Critical and Emerging Technologies Partnership. This will provide new impetus to cooperation in areas such as AI, quantum technologies and critical minerals,” the PM said at a media briefing.
India and Israel believe that this initiative on critical and emerging technologies, led by the National Security Advisors of both countries, will coordinate their individual strengths in specific technologies, fostering a focused and futuristic partnership.
The joint statement said the two leaders provided a vision and a road map for future defense cooperation following the MoU signed last November to promote defense cooperation.
“We have enjoyed decades of trustful cooperation in the defense sector. The MoU signed last year will add new dimensions to this partnership. Together, we will move towards joint development, joint production and technology transfer,” Modi said.
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The MoU was signed in Tel Aviv last November to provide a unified vision and policy direction to deepen the already strong defense cooperation between the two countries; It will enable sharing of advanced technology and promote co-development and co-production of weapons and systems.
Modi said that both the countries will further strengthen their cooperation in areas like civil nuclear energy and space. The two leaders welcomed the ongoing cooperation between the Israel Space Agency (ISA) and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), recognizing the significant potential for Israeli space-based start-ups and companies to engage more deeply with their Indian counterparts.
“They stressed the importance of promoting greater collaboration between the space industries of the two countries, encouraging joint ventures, innovation partnerships and exchange of knowledge to advance progress in the global space sector,” the statement said.
Modi said, “I am glad that an agreement has been reached to enable the use of UPI in Israel. We are also committed to improving the lives of our people by sharing our experiences in the field of digital health.”
They discussed agricultural cooperation between the two sides. “There is a long and successful history of agricultural cooperation between our two countries. Today we have resolved to give a future direction to this cooperation.”
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The Centers of Agricultural Excellence established in India with the cooperation of Israel are a shining example of our friendship. We have set a target of increasing their number (from the current 43) to 100,” the PM said.
He said that work is also going on to create villages of excellence in India.
“This initiative will bring Israeli technology to every village in India, significantly increasing the income and productivity of millions of farmers. We will also jointly develop future-ready agricultural solutions. The establishment of the India-Israel Innovation Center for Agriculture in India will provide a strong foundation to take this collaboration forward.”
Modi described people-to-people ties as an important pillar of India-Israel relations and said that through the 2023 Manpower Mobility Agreement, India has made significant contributions to Israel’s construction and maintenance sectors.
The PM said, “This cooperation is being expanded to areas like commerce and services. Connecting the youth, researchers and innovators of both the countries has been our key priority. Today, we are establishing the India-Israel Academic Forum.” He said that with an eye on promoting regional connectivity, both sides will move forward with new momentum on the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) and India-Israel-UAE-USA (I2U2) initiatives.
Modi said that India and Israel are clear that there is no place for terrorism in the world and it cannot be tolerated in any form. He said New Delhi’s security interests are directly linked to peace and stability in West Asia.
Modi said, “We stand shoulder to shoulder in opposing terrorism and those who support it and will continue to do so… From the beginning we have supported dialogue and peaceful resolution of issues. India’s position is clear — humanity should never become a victim of conflict. The Gaza Peace Plan has opened the way for peace. India has extended its full support to these efforts. We will continue to engage in dialogue and cooperation with all countries.”
The two leaders unequivocally and strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism. They called for decisive and concerted international efforts to combat terrorism in a comprehensive and sustained manner, reaffirming their collective resolve to combat this threat as leaders of two vibrant and resilient democracies.
“They strongly condemned the heinous terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, the barbaric terrorist attack on Indian tourists in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, India on April 22, 2025, and the terrorist incident that took place near the Red Fort in New Delhi on November 10, 2025,” the statement said.
Modi’s visit comes at a time when India seeks to build a formidable military capability to defend the country against air strikes and protect civilian installations as well as to counter-strike with overwhelming force under Mission Sudarshan Chakra, signaling the country’s intention to be prepared for future battlefield challenges.
The PM announced Mission Sudarshan Chakra in his Independence Day address last year and set a 10-year deadline to develop the national defense armour, which is expected to integrate some Israeli technologies and missile systems.
