Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Israel on a two-day visit from February 25 to 26, sources said on Monday, setting the stage for his second trip to the country and the first since 2017.
The visit was first made public by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu while addressing the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organisations on Sunday.
"Parliament address on the anvil. Who's coming here next week? Narendra Modi," Netanyahu told the gathering.
"Tremendous alliance between Israel and India, and we are going to discuss all sorts of cooperation. Now, you know, India is not a small country. It has 1.4 billion people. India is enormously powerful, enormously popular," he said.
Sources in New Delhi confirmed that the visit is “likely to be short from February 25 to 26”, adding that “its impact is deep given the popularity Modi enjoys not only in Israel but around the world”.
This will be Modi’s second visit to Israel. In July 2017, he became the first Indian prime minister to travel to the country. The upcoming visit is expected to include an address to the Knesset, Israel’s parliament.
Officials say the Prime Minister is likely to discuss issues of bilateral and regional interest during the two-day stay.
The visit comes after a steady exchange of ministers over the past year.
Israeli minister of tourism Haim Katz, minister of economy and industry Nir Barkat, minister of agriculture and food security Avi Dichter, and finance minister Bezalel Smotrich travelled to India as discussions progressed on a proposed Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
During Smotrich’s visit, the two sides signed a Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT). Later, a Terms of Reference for the FTA was signed during Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal’s visit to Israel in November.
External affairs minister S. Jaishankar also travelled to Israel in December. During that visit, he called on Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog, foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar and Barkat.
In November, India and Israel signed an agreement to deepen defence, industrial and technological cooperation, enabling the sharing of advanced technology for co-development and co-production.
The Joint Working Group (JWG) of Israel and India met in Tel Aviv for its annual meeting, led by Israel ministry of defence director General Maj. Gen. (Res.) Amir Baram and Indian defence secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh.
"This strategic dialogue with India takes place at a critical juncture for both countries. Our strategic partnership is based on deep mutual trust and shared security interests. We view India as a first-rate strategic partner and are determined to continue deepening cooperation in the fields of defence, technology, and industry," Baram had said after the meeting.
A special panel with CEOs of major defence industries was also held, where Israeli technologies and joint industrial projects were discussed.
"A wide range of areas for cooperation have been identified in the agreement that will benefit both countries. Important areas include joint planning, training, defence industrial cooperation, and capabilities including Science & Technology, Research & Development, Technological Innovation, Artificial Intelligence and Cyber Security cooperation," a defence source told PTI.
"It will enable sharing of advanced technology and would help promote co-development and co-production", he said.
The two sides also deliberated on shared concerns, including terrorism.
As preparations continue in Tel Aviv and New Delhi, the February 25–26 visit is expected to reaffirm a relationship that has grown steadily over the past decade — across trade, defence and technology — with Parliament diplomacy set to provide the headline moment.