India stands firmly with Israel, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared, as he arrived in Jerusalem on a two-day visit. Remembering the victims of the October 7 massacre, the Indian prime minister said that “we feel your pain, we share your grief.”
“India stands with Israel firmly with full conviction in this moment and beyond,” he said, addressing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli lawmakers in the Knesset on Wednesday.
The strong bond of friendship between the two world leaders was on full display as they exchanged a warm hug at the tarmac. “The visit began with an extraordinary display of personal rapport at Ben Gurion Airport, where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nd his wife Sara broke protocol to receive the Indian leader,” the Indian TV channel News18 reported.
Israel’s Ynetnews covered Modi’s speech to the Israeli lawmakers:
Opening his speech with “Shalom” in Hebrew and “Namaste” in Hindi, Modi called it “a great honor and privilege” to speak before the Knesset.“I carry with me the deep condolences of the people of India for every life lost and every family shattered in the barbaric and brutal terrorist attack by Hamas on 7/10,” Modi said. “We share your pain. India stands with Israel in full solidarity at this moment and beyond. Nothing can justify the murder of civilians and terrorism. India has also suffered the pain of terrorism for a long time.”Modi said India supports regional peace and stability and reiterated backing for the Abraham Accords, adding that India believes such efforts can lead to “a just and lasting peace for all peoples of the region, including addressing the Palestinian issue.”He highlighted the historical ties between Indians and Jews, noting that Jewish communities lived in India without persecution and contributed to Indian society. “Israel is the land of the fathers and India is the land of the mothers,” he said.Modi concluded his address by saying “Am Yisrael Chai,” a Hebrew phrase meaning “The people of Israel live,” drawing applause from lawmakers.
While the Indian media across the political spectrum cheered the visit, the mainstream European media were critical of Modi.
The state-run TVchannel France24 lamented that “[i]n his speech, Modi did not explicitly mention the tens of thousands of Palestinians killed in Gaza during the more than two-year war between Israel and Hamas,” failing to mention that those numbers, albeit inflated, largely included Palestinian terrorists eliminated by the IDF, as they held hundreds of Israeli hostages.
The BBC complained that “[t]here is no meeting with Palestinian leaders on his schedule,” unlike India’s leftist president, who in 2015 also called on “Palestinian President” Mahmoud Abbas, only to be mobbed by angry Arabs in Ramallah. They were outraged at New Delhi’s efforts to normalize ties with Israel.
Indian newspaper The Tribune published the excerpts from Prime Minister Netanyahu’s address, welcoming the visiting leader:
Setting the stage for these remarks earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed Prime Minister Modi ahead of his address to the Israeli Parliament, Knesset, and described him as “a great friend of Israel, a great champion of the Indian-Israeli alliance, a great leader on the world stage.”Prime Minister Netanyahu further described Prime Minister Modi as a “dear friend” and said he was deeply moved by the visit.”I have to tell you, Narendra, my dear friend, I am deeply, deeply moved by your visit here today. I’ve never been more moved than by your visit here with us, a great friend of Israel, a great champion of the Indian-Israeli alliance, a great leader on the world stage. Welcome to Jerusalem, my dear friend, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and your distinguished delegation,” he said.Emphasising the personal depth of this diplomatic bond, he added, “I would almost venture to say, more than a friend, a brother. Now, when you were last here, we, the two of us, were on the Mediterranean coast, and I said, why don’t we take off our shoes and go into the water?… We didn’t walk on water, but we did perform miracles since then. Because what we have done is we’ve doubled our trade, tripled our cooperation, quadrupled our understanding.”
Modi’s visit is “being widely viewed as a milestone moment in India-Israel relations, underscoring growing strategic trust, deepening economic cooperation, and a strong personal bond between PM Modi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,” India’s NDTV observed.
Besides defense, India wants to benefit from Israel’s expertise in combating terrorism. “Counter-terrorism remains a key pillar of bilateral cooperation. Both India and Israel have long dealt with terrorism, creating a shared strategic outlook,” the broadcaster added.
India’s News18 noted that the visit focuses “on innovation and sustainable development,” with the two countries looking to expand their existing defense ties. “Prime Minister Modi and his counterpart have engaged in intensive sessions regarding the $8.6 billion defence engagement planned for 2026,” the TV channel added.
Despite expanding economic ties, the volume of trade between the two countries remains relatively low. Bloomberg noted that “India is Israel’s second-largest trading partner in Asia with bilateral trade estimated at $5 billion in 2025.” In 1992, when India normalized its diplomatic ties with Israel, the bilateral trade stood at a mere $200 million.
With Modi in Israel, both countries are working on a comprehensive trade deal. “The first round of negotiations for the India-Israel Free Trade Agreement (FTA) commenced on 23 February 2026 in New Delhi,” the Indian government’s Press Information Bureau (PIB) said in a statement.
“This engagement highlights the strategic importance of India-Israel bilateral relationship, and reinforces India’s commitment to strengthen economic partnerships in line with national priorities and global aspirations,” the press release added. “Both sides are working towards concluding a balanced and mutually beneficial agreement.”
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