PM Modi's Israel Visit: Upgrading to Special Strategic Partnership, Defence and Tech Agreements
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Tel Aviv on February 25, 2026 for a two-day state visit — the second-ever visit by an Indian PM to Israel (after Modi's first visit in July 2017).
India and Israel are upgrading their bilateral ties to a "Special Strategic Partnership" — a higher diplomatic tier comparable to Israel's partnerships with the US and Germany.
Key agreements signed or expected: an updated security pact with a new secrecy mechanism; MoUs on defence cooperation (including integration into Israel's Or Eitan laser-based air defence system); and collaboration frameworks for AI, quantum computing, and cybersecurity.
Modi addressed the Israeli parliament (Knesset) — a significant diplomatic milestone.
The visit is contextualised by the Gaza ceasefire (January 2025), Israel's regional strategic recalibration, and the India-Middle East-Europe Corridor (IMEC) framework.
India-Israel Bilateral Relations: Historical Arc
India recognised Israel as a state in 1950 but did not establish full diplomatic relations until January 1992 — over four decades of diplomatic ambivalence driven by solidarity with the Arab world, domestic Muslim vote-bank considerations, and Cold War alignments. Full ambassadorial ties were established in January 1992, coinciding with the post-Cold War strategic reorientation.
Modi's 2026 visit represents the deepest diplomatic upgrade since the 1992 establishment of relations, driven by converging interests in defence technology, counterterrorism, and regional connectivity.
India-Israel Defence Partnership: Scope and Significance
Israel is one of India's most significant defence technology partners. Between 2020 and 2024, Israel supplied approximately 13% of India's total arms imports, making Israel India's third-largest arms supplier after Russia and France. In the same period, India was the single largest importer of Israeli weapons — accounting for roughly 34% of Israel's defence exports.
Integration into the Or Eitan system and the new "secrecy mechanism" that "opens new categories" of cooperation suggests India is gaining access to previously restricted Israeli defence technologies — a function of the deepened trust reflected in the Special Strategic Partnership upgrade.
India-Middle East-Europe Corridor (IMEC): Geopolitical Context
The India-Middle East-Europe Corridor (IMEC) was announced at the G20 New Delhi Summit (September 2023) as a multimodal connectivity project linking India to Europe via the Arabian Peninsula. The corridor has two legs: an eastern leg (India → UAE → Saudi Arabia via rail and sea) and a northern leg (Saudi Arabia → Jordan → Israel → Greece → Europe via rail and ferry).
Israel is a critical node in the IMEC's northern leg — goods would move from Israeli ports (Haifa) to Greece and onward to Europe. India's $1.7 billion investment in Haifa Port (via Adani Ports, in partnership with Israeli firm Gadot, operational since 2023) is a tangible IMEC-aligned investment. The Gaza conflict starting October 2023 temporarily complicated the IMEC trajectory (Jordan-Israel segment), but the February 2025 ceasefire has revived interest.
Key Details
- IMEC announced: September 9, 2023 (G20 New Delhi Summit); signatories: India, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Israel, EU, France, Germany, Italy, US
- Eastern corridor: India → UAE/Saudi Arabia (sea + rail)
- Northern corridor: Saudi Arabia → Jordan → Israel → Greece → Europe (rail + ferry)
- Haifa Port: Adani Ports acquired 70% stake in 2023; strategic IMEC node
- Comparison: IMEC vs China's BRI (Belt and Road Initiative) — IMEC seen as Western-aligned alternative to BRI for Middle East-Asia connectivity
- UAE: signed Abraham Accords with Israel in 2020 (Abraham Accords also include Bahrain, Sudan, Morocco) — this normalisation underpins IMEC's Gulf segment
Modi's visit to Israel is intertwined with IMEC — deepening India-Israel relations is essential for the corridor's operationalisation, particularly the Haifa port logistics node and the rail connections to Europe through the Israeli-Jordan-Saudi route.
India's West Asia Policy: Strategic Autonomy Framework
India's engagement with West Asia (Middle East) has historically been shaped by energy dependence (Gulf region supplies ~60% of India's crude oil), the large Indian diaspora (approximately 9 million in Gulf states, primary source of remittances), and balancing relationships with Israel and Arab states. India was a historic supporter of Palestinian statehood at the UN.
- India-Israel full diplomatic relations: established January 29, 1992
- First Indian PM visit to Israel: Modi, July 2017
- Current visit: February 25-26, 2026 (two-day state visit)
- Bilateral tie upgrade: "Strategic Partnership" (2017) → "Special Strategic Partnership" (2026)
- Defence trade (2024): $185 million; peak $265 million (2023); India = 34% of Israeli defence exports
- Key systems: Barak-8 SAM (co-developed), Hermes 900 UAV (assembled in India), Spyder SAM
- Or Eitan: laser air defence system; per-shot cost ~$3.50 (vs. $20,000-$50,000 for missile interceptors)
- Adani Ports — Haifa Port: 70% stake acquired 2023; critical IMEC node
- IMEC: announced G20 New Delhi, September 2023; India-UAE-Saudi-Jordan-Israel-Greece-Europe corridor
- Indian diaspora in Israel: approximately 85,000 (including those of Indian origin holding Israeli citizenship)
- India-Israel bilateral trade (2024-25): ~$3.75 billion (excluding defence)