India - Israel Joint Statement

globalsecurity.org · Feb 27, 2026 · Collected from GDELT

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A Special Strategic Partnership for Peace, Innovation, and Prosperity Recognising the warmth, goodwill, and deep strategic partnership between India and Israel, the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi made a state visit to Israel from 25 to 26 February 2026 on the invitation of Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minster of the State of Israel. The Prime Minister was accompanied by a high-level delegation comprised of senior ministers and officials. Recalling Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's historic visit to Israel in 2017 and Prime Minister Netanyahu's visit to India in 2018, which together laid the foundation for a new era of partnership and collaboration, the leaders noted the immense progress made in the India-Israel bilateral relationship across diverse domains, including emerging technologies, cyber, agriculture, water management, health, entrepreneurship, defence, security, and more. Prime Minister Netanyahu and Prime Minister Modi agreed and decided to elevate the Strategic Partnership to a new level - 'A Special Strategic Partnership for Peace, Innovation & Prosperity.' Together into the future The Prime Ministers reaffirmed their shared vision for a robust special strategic partnership rooted in mutual aspirations for peace, security and prosperity through technological innovations and entrepreneurship. The leaders acknowledged that Indian and Israeli capabilities complement each other perfectly - Israel is a global powerhouse of technology and innovation, India serves as a hub of talent, manufacturing excellence and entrepreneurial energy. The Prime Ministers affirmed their commitment to integrating India's and Israel's advancements in AI, cybersecurity, semiconductors, quantum computing, biotechnology, agriculture and water management, defence platforms, and space exploration. This partnership strengthens India's vision of an 'Atmanirbhar and Viksit Bharat 2047', aims to spark the next wave of technological transformation and shared progress of both countries. Underscoring the shared commitment to transform policy priorities into tangible outcomes, the Prime Ministers emphasised the importance of institutionalising bilateral mechanisms across Government-to-Government, Business-to-Business, and People-to-People domains to ensure sustained collaboration and meaningful impact. Defence and Security Welcoming the Memorandum of Understanding on Defence Cooperation signed on 4th November 2025, Prime Minister Netanyahu and Prime Minister Modi acknowledged the significant growth made in defence cooperation between their nations, both in scope and scale. Both leaders provided a vision and a roadmap for future defence cooperation. Technology and Innovation Acknowledging the complementary strengths of India's and Israel's technological prowess that create avenues for deeper collaboration in Critical and Emerging Technology (CET) sectors, Prime Minister Netanyahu and Prime Minister Modi welcomed the new initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies led by the National Security Advisors of the two countries. They emphasised that this initiative would synergise the individual strengths of both countries in niche technologies, fostering a focused and futuristic partnership. The leaders called on both sides to take forward the initiative. The Prime Ministers reviewed the functioning of the India-Israel Industrial R&D and Innovation Fund (I4F), jointly implemented by the Department of Science and Technology of India and the Israel Innovation Authority, and reaffirmed its important role in advancing industrial collaboration between the two countries. They agreed to further strengthen the operational implementation of the I4F mechanism, including enhanced outreach to industry and facilitation of high-quality joint R&D partnerships, in order to fully realize the Fund's potential and expand impactful cooperation between Indian and Israeli enterprises. Acknowledging the success of the India-Israel Joint Research Calls (IIJRC), implemented by Department of Science and Technology (DST), India, and Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology (MOST), Israel, the Prime Ministers agreed to increase the contribution of both sides— from the current USD 1 million to USD 1.5 million each. This will promote joint research between Indian and Israeli universities through joint use of research facilities, materials, and equipment, and will also provide for exchange visits of the collaborating scientists. Both sides agreed to mandate the Joint Scientific Committee to coordinate and advance the Joint Research Call. The leaders also welcomed the elevation of the Joint Commission on Science and Technology to the Ministerial level and both sides agreed to hold the JCM on Science and Technology at Ministerial level at the earliest possible occasion in India or in Israel. The Prime Ministers recognized the importance of strengthening academia-industry linkages as a key driver of innovation and agreed to promote structured networking and collaboration between researchers, industry leaders and technology experts from both countries, with a view to advancing joint research, technology development and commercial partnerships. The Prime Ministers recognized the importance of creating institutional support to advance joint innovation activities between the two countries. In this context, they agreed to explore the development of Tech Gateway mechanisms to facilitate collaborative R&D initiatives, technology validation processes, pilot projects and joint development activities between Indian and Israeli innovation ecosystems. The Prime Ministers recognized the strategic importance of Artificial Intelligence as a key driver of innovation and agreed to deepen cooperation in AI talent and expertise. They welcomed efforts to develop enabling frameworks that strengthen linkages between AI professionals, research institutions and innovative enterprises, including by facilitating professional collaboration and participation in leading innovation activities in both countries. Recognising the advances made by Israel and India in artificial intelligence, both leaders welcomed the signing of the MoU on Cooperation in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and agreed to deepen collaboration in this frontier technology for the welfare of their peoples. The Prime Ministers welcomed the ongoing collaboration between the Israel Space Agency (ISA) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), recognising the significant potential for Israeli space-based start-ups and companies to engage more deeply with their Indian counterparts. They emphasised the importance of fostering greater cooperation between the two nations' space industries, encouraging joint ventures, innovation partnerships, and knowledge exchange to drive progress in the global space sector. Both leaders welcomed the signing of the Declaration of Intent for cooperation in establishing a 'Horizon Scanning/Strategic Foresight Mechanism'. This mechanism helps identify emerging global trends in areas like technology, economy and society, by leveraging data, AI and expert insights to support strategic planning and decision making. Cybersecurity The Prime Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing cybersecurity in both governmental and private sectors. They emphasized the need for robust dialogue between their national cyber authorities and pledged to deepen cooperation in this field. In addition, they committed to developing a multi-year strategic program to guide bilateral collaboration in cybersecurity and advance a joint roadmap for implementation. The roadmap will include, among other elements, human capacity building, cybersecurity and AI, applied research, the integration of Security by Design principles and regular joint table top exercises. Recognising the importance of strengthening and institutionalising their comprehensive cyber cooperation, they welcomed the successful convening of the inaugural India-Israel Cyber Policy Dialogue in March 2025. In a significant step forward, both leaders welcomed the signing of Letter of Intent for the establishment of an India-Israel Centre of Excellence in Cybersecurity in India to foster the activities outlined above. Trade, Investment, and Connectivity Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Netanyahu emphasised the importance of unlocking the full potential of bilateral trade and investment. They welcomed the signing of the India-Israel Bilateral Investment Agreement by the two Finance Ministers in New Delhi in September 2025, which is expected to enhance investor confidence, promote greater two-way investments, and ensure transparency, predictability, and protection through a clear framework of treatment of investment and independent dispute resolution mechanism. Both leaders welcomed the signing of the Terms of Reference (ToR) for the Free Trade Area (FTA) Agreement negotiations and the convening of the first negotiating round in New Delhi. The leaders assert their commitment for the realization of the FTA Agreement between the two countries and tasked the negotiating teams to expedite the negotiations for an early signing of an FTA. Both Leaders emphasized that a resilient financial ecosystem is a fundamental pillar of economic stability. They welcomed the strategic partnership in the financial-cyber domain. This collaboration will focus on enhancing the resilience of the financial ecosystem through the exchange of financial- cyber intelligence, joint development of methodologies, and the performance of multilateral financial-cyber simulations operationalised through Financial Computer Security Incident Response Teams of both countries. Prime Minister Netanyahu appreciated India's fintech revolution, exemplified by the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), which is a world-class model for affordable, real-time cross-border transactions. Both sides agreed to explore linking UPI with Israel's fast payment system to enhance interoperability and strengthe