PM Modi to Visit Israel on February 25, Netanyahu Calls It a Symbol of a ‘Historic Alliance’

Jerusalem/New Delhi, Feb 2026 : Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday announced that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive in Israel on February 25 for a two-day official visit, marking his second trip to the country since his landmark visit in 2017. The visit, Netanyahu said, reflects the deepening strategic partnership between Israel and India, and underscores India’s growing global stature.

Speaking during Israel’s weekly Cabinet meeting, Netanyahu described the upcoming visit as a powerful expression of the “special relationship” forged between the two nations in recent years. In remarks later shared on social media platform X through official channels, the Israeli Prime Minister referred to India as a “global power” and emphasised the importance Israel places on its ties with New Delhi.

“On Wednesday, the Prime Minister of India, my friend Narendra Modi, will arrive in Israel,” Netanyahu said. “In the vision I see before my eyes, we will create a complete system of alliances around or within the Middle East—an axis of countries that see reality, the challenges, and the goals clearly, and stand together against radical forces.”

Highlighting his close personal rapport with Prime Minister Modi, Netanyahu said the two leaders remain in regular contact and share a relationship built on trust and mutual respect. “We are personal friends,” he said, pointing to the warmth and continuity in bilateral engagement between the two democracies.

Netanyahu outlined a broader strategic vision for the visit, stating that he sees India as a crucial partner in building what he described as a “hexagon of alliances” in and around the Middle East. This envisioned framework would bring together like-minded countries to collectively address regional instability, extremism, and security challenges.

Referring to Israel’s longstanding partnership with the United States, Netanyahu said that while Israel maintains a unique and historic alliance with Washington, including his personal relationship with former US President Donald Trump, it continues to actively cultivate additional strategic partnerships. “Our alliance with the US does not mean we are not seeking more alliances—on the contrary, we are constantly nurturing them,” he said, placing India among Israel’s most important global partners.

According to Netanyahu, Prime Minister Modi’s visit will help further strengthen cooperation between the two countries across economic, diplomatic, and security domains. Discussions are expected to focus on expanding trade, advancing defence cooperation, enhancing cybersecurity collaboration, and coordinating on counter-terrorism efforts amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East.

The official itinerary for Prime Minister Modi’s February 25–26 visit includes a historic address to the Knesset, Israel’s Parliament, in the afternoon. He will also undertake a joint visit with Netanyahu to Yad Vashem, Israel’s national Holocaust memorial, underscoring shared democratic values and remembrance of history. In addition, Modi is scheduled to participate in an innovation-focused event in Jerusalem highlighting collaboration in cutting-edge fields such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and other emerging technologies.

The visit comes nearly nine years after Prime Minister Modi’s 2017 trip to Israel, which was the first-ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister and marked a turning point in bilateral relations. That visit significantly elevated cooperation in areas including defence, agriculture, water management, and innovation. Netanyahu’s reciprocal visit to India in 2018 further consolidated the partnership.

Against the backdrop of shifting geopolitical dynamics and regional instability, Modi’s upcoming visit is seen as part of India’s broader strategic recalibration and its growing convergence with Israel on security, technology sharing, and defence supplies. While the announcement has sparked some domestic political debate in Israel, particularly over procedural aspects of the Knesset address, the visit is widely viewed as reinforcing a “tremendous alliance” between the two democracies.

Both New Delhi and Jerusalem see the engagement as an opportunity to elevate cooperation, address common threats, and chart a forward-looking partnership rooted in mutual growth and strategic trust.