{"id":308002,"date":"2026-02-24T16:47:07","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T16:47:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/308002\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T16:47:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T16:47:07","slug":"modi-visit-set-to-open-new-phase-in-india-israel-ties","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/308002\/","title":{"rendered":"Modi visit set to open \u2018new phase\u2019 in India-Israel ties"},"content":{"rendered":"

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi\u2019s<\/a> visit is expected to launch \u201ca new phase\u201d in India-Israel relations, with a broader agenda centered on advanced technology, trade, and strategic cooperation, according to Ambassador J.P. Singh in an interview with The Jerusalem Post ahead of Modi\u2019s arrival in Israel.<\/p>\n

Singh said on Tuesday that the visit comes after a long gap at the highest level and carries unusual symbolic and practical weight.<\/p>\n

\u201cPrime Minister Mr. Modi is visiting after almost nine years,\u201d Singh said, referring to the Indian leader\u2019s landmark 2017 trip to Israel. \u201cThis visit is going to be a very historic visit.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said that once Modi \u201ctouch[es] Israeli soil,\u201d \u201ca new phase in our relationship will start\u201d and \u201ca new chapter in our relationship will start.\u201d<\/p>\n

Singh framed the visit as both a political and strategic reset between two leaders who have remained in contact over the years. Modi last visited Israel in July 2017, when ties were elevated to a strategic partnership, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a return visit to India in January 2018, according to the Israeli embassy in New Delhi\u2019s official bilateral timeline.<\/p>\n

Netanyahu announced Sunday that Modi would visit Israel on Wednesday, saying the Indian prime minister is expected to address the Knesset, visit Yad Vashem, and take part in events centered on innovation and hi-tech cooperation. The Post reported that Netanyahu also highlighted future cooperation in artificial intelligence and quantum computing.<\/p>\n

Singh reinforced that agenda in the interview, saying the visit will include a detailed meeting with Netanyahu, a visit to Yad Vashem, and a meeting with President Isaac Herzog. He also stressed the significance of Modi\u2019s planned Knesset address, which he described as a first for an Indian prime minister.<\/p>\n

Singh said, \u201cOne of the most important elements will be [that] he will be the first prime minister from India to address the Knesset,\u201d adding that the speech would be widely watched in both Israel and India.<\/p>\n

\u2018Broaden as well as deepen\u2019<\/p>\n

Asked what he meant by a \u201cnew phase,\u201d Singh said the next step in India-Israel relations is both expansion and consolidation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will broaden as well as deepen our relationship,\u201d he said. By \u201cbroaden,\u201d Singh said he meant moving beyond a limited number of sectors to build a more comprehensive framework that includes financial cooperation, trade, and cross-border payments. He specifically pointed to the possibility of future work on financial systems, including money transfer mechanisms and cross-border payment infrastructure.<\/p>\n

By \u201cdeepen,\u201d he implied more integrated collaboration between the two countries\u2019 innovation ecosystems, including start-ups, technology partnerships, and greater scope for technology transfer and combined strengths.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe sky is the limit,\u201d he said. Singh declined to provide specifics on agreements expected to be signed during the visit, saying details had not yet been formally announced. He did say, however, that the agreements would span \u201cmost different aspects\u201d of the relationship.<\/p>\n

He listed science and technology, cultural ties, agriculture, research and development, centers of excellence, and defense cooperation among the areas likely to be covered.<\/p>\n

Technology at the center<\/p>\n

A major theme of the visit, Singh shared, will be the overlap between India\u2019s scale and Israel\u2019s innovation ecosystem.<\/p>\n

The focus areas, he said, include science and technology, critical and emerging technologies, AI, cybersecurity, and quantum-related cooperation.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomewhere, we need to combine the strength of both the countries,\u201d Singh said.<\/p>\n

That emphasis matches the messaging from both governments and recent public reporting. Netanyahu said this week that the two countries would promote cooperation in hi-tech, AI, and quantum computing, while Singh told Indian public media that the two ecosystems \u201ccomplement each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

The economic logic behind that push has grown stronger in recent years. Reuters reported in July that Israel and India were finalizing an investment protection agreement and cited Israeli officials saying New Delhi had become one of Jerusalem\u2019s most important trade partners, especially in Asia. Reuters also reported that bilateral trade in 2024 totaled nearly $4 billion.<\/p>\n

Personal rapport, strategic significance<\/p>\n

Singh also highlighted the personal relationship between Modi and Netanyahu as an asset in advancing policy.<\/p>\n

He described the rapport between the two leaders as \u201cvery warm, very friendly, very brotherly\u201d and said that dynamic could help accelerate broader cooperation.<\/p>\n

At the same time, he indicated that the leaders\u2019 discussions would go beyond bilateral issues. Asked whether regional instability would come up, Singh said the talks would cover \u201cbilateral, plus regional and global issues,\u201d and described the expected conversation as \u201cvery free-flowing.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Singh, the central message of the visit is that India-Israel ties are entering a more ambitious stage after years of steady growth.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis visit will give us a road map and a vision for our future relationship,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

If the agreements announced after the leaders\u2019 meetings match the scope Singh outlined, the visit will be remembered not only for its symbolism but also for setting the terms of the next India-Israel chapter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi\u2019s visit is expected to launch \u201ca new phase\u201d in India-Israel relations, with a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":308003,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[49,85,207,2894,46,23132,14406,43,125,3793],"class_list":["post-308002","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-israel","tag-benjamin-netanyahu","tag-il","tag-india","tag-isaac-herzog","tag-israel","tag-israeli-embassy","tag-knesset","tag-news","tag-technology","tag-trade"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/308002","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=308002"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/308002\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/308003"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=308002"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=308002"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=308002"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}