Transcript of Special Briefing by Foreign Secretary on the State Visit of Prime Minister to Israel (February 26, 2026)

[inaudible]

Shri Vikram Misri, Foreign Secretary: … I should also point out at the outset that this visit comes in the context of an effort by the Prime Minister himself to take interest in and pursue our relations, India's relations with all the countries in this region in West Asia. In slightly over the last one year, the Prime Minister has paid visits to Kuwait, to Saudi Arabia, to Jordan, to Oman, and now to Israel. And of course, he has received several Heads of State, Heads of Government, and other dignitaries from this region as well.

On arrival at the airport yesterday, the Prime Minister was accorded a ceremonial welcome by the Prime Minister of Israel and his wife, Mrs. Sara Netanyahu. We saw the warmth that was on display. The two Prime Ministers had a tête-à-tête at the airport itself before the Prime Minister arrived at his hotel where he received the traditional welcome by the Indian community here in Israel.

Yesterday, the highlight of the Prime Minister's program, which I am sure all of you would have followed, was his address to the Knesset, where he was invited by the Speaker of the Knesset, His Excellency Mr. Amir Ohana, to address a special plenary session of the Knesset. The session was also addressed by Prime Minister Netanyahu and Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Yair Lapid.

The Prime Minister was also conferred the "Medal of the Knesset" in recognition of his exceptional contribution through his leadership to strengthen the strategic relations between India and Israel. And Prime Minister Modi is the first recipient of this medal.

Later in the evening yesterday, the two Prime Ministers together visited a special technology exhibition which showcased over a dozen cutting-edge Israeli technologies across multiple sectors that also happen to be the focus of India-Israel relations. These included technologies in the fields of quantum, artificial intelligence, health, smart mobility, cyber security, water and agriculture, climate, energy, and space. The Prime Minister was then hosted for a private dinner later in the evening by Prime Minister Netanyahu and Mrs. Netanyahu.

This morning, the Prime Minister began with a visit to Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center in Jerusalem, and laid a wreath in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. It was a solemn occasion where the Prime Minister paid his respects together with Prime Minister Netanyahu. The two leaders toured the Hall of Names and the Children's Memorial, and participated in a memorial ceremony in the Hall of Remembrance.

Thereafter, the Prime Minister had the opportunity to call on the President of Israel, His Excellency Mr. Isaac Herzog. And the two leaders also planted an oak tree in the presidential garden in honor of Prime Minister Modi's 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' initiative, a tree for Mother.

Prime Minister then held delegation-level talks with Prime Minister Netanyahu which, as I mentioned, have just concluded a short while ago. The talks gave both leaders the opportunity to go through the entire spectrum of the India-Israel strategic partnership. It was agreed to deepen further our relationship in a wide array of sectors, including science and technology, innovation, research, critical and emerging technologies, cyber security, agriculture, water, defense and security, trade and economy, people-to-people exchanges. In a demonstration of the deep trust and strength that prevails in this relationship, the two leaders also decided to elevate the relationship to an India-Israel Special Strategic Partnership for Peace, Innovation and Prosperity.

Following the delegation-level talks, both leaders jointly addressed a press conference. A number of MOUs and Agreements, I think nearly 16 in total, were exchanged in the presence of the leaders. There were also several announcements. A comprehensive list of the agreements as well as the announcements will shortly be available on our website.

As we speak, the Prime Minister is meeting with prominent members of the Indian Jewish community here in Jerusalem and a group of Indologists. He will also be meeting with a few personalities from the field of culture, some personalities from the area of film, including, I am told, some cast members of the TV serial Fauda. I am sorry to be missing that interaction.

The visit of the Prime Minister to Israel reflects the high priority that India attaches to its bilateral relationship with Israel. This visit has succeeded in further deepening and strengthening the multi-faceted partnership between the two countries, and in providing a renewed impetus to the joint efforts of these two democracies to advance their shared objectives of peace, innovation, and prosperity.

As far as the outcomes are concerned, let me give you a brief snapshot of the various areas that they covered. As you would have noticed from the various public announcements as well that have been made. The focus of this visit has been on technology, including in the area of artificial intelligence, cyber security, innovation, research, and startups. Accordingly, both leaders decided to elevate the existing Joint Commission on Science and Technology to the Ministerial level, which will make inter-agency coordination in science and technology between the two sides easier, and the partnership more productive.

There is a broad and fundamental understanding between the two sides to deepen their cooperation in areas of frontier technology, particularly artificial intelligence, and its application across sectors. This is also on account of the recently hosted AI Summit in India, where we had a high-powered delegation from Israel also that participated. So, cooperation in the AI sector is likely to focus, amongst others, on advancing education, focusing on developing AI-powered and human-centered learning, and collaboration on healthcare innovation, AI and digital transformation through the sharing of best practices and cooperation between designated institutions of the two countries. As Prime Minister Netanyahu also referred to in his remarks at the press conference, the attempt is to use AI for precision education.

Cooperation in cyber security and horizon scanning mechanisms was also discussed and finalized through the instruments that were exchanged in the presence of the two leaders.

Some of the existing mechanisms under science and technology cooperation, including the India-Israel Industrial Innovation Fund and the India-Israel joint research calls, which have been functioning well. It was agreed to further strengthen and streamline these mechanisms. The funding for the joint research calls has been hiked to $1.5 million from both sides. This will again give a boost to joint research between Indian and Israeli universities. The two sides have also agreed to establish the India-Israel Academic Cooperation Forum to strengthen cooperation in research, policy, and education.

As you would be aware, agriculture has long been an area of very rich and very productive cooperation between the two countries. There are 43 Centers of Excellence in agriculture that have been established in India with Israeli assistance. Moving beyond these traditional ideas, of course, there has been an agreement during this visit to expand these 43 centers to 100 centers all across the country. But moving beyond these traditional areas into agriculture innovation and research, an MoU was signed during the visit for establishing a joint India-Israel Innovation Center for Agriculture in India and to institute a joint fellowship for agricultural research by Indian researchers at the Volcani Agricultural Research Organization.

In addition to this, NPCI International-the National Payments Corporation of India-and the Israeli MASAV have also exchanged an MoU for cooperation. This is to examine linkages between these two institutions for cross-border payments between the two countries, and to explore linking India's Unified Payments Interface (the UPI system) with Israel's payment system to enhance interoperability for cross-border payments between the two countries, which will then have a spin-off for promoting tourism and other commercial activities between the two sides.

Last year, in September 2024, the two countries signed a bilateral investment agreement. And as we speak today, a negotiating team from Israel is in India for the first round of negotiations on concluding a Free Trade Agreement between the two countries. In order to fill out this… [unclear audio] … today the two sides have also decided to launch a bilateral financial dialogue between them.

In recent years, mobility has been a sunrise sector of cooperation between the two countries. We have made considerable progress; nearly 42,000 Indian skilled workers have traveled to Israel in recent years. Today, the signing of the implementation protocol on commerce and services, manufacturing, and the restaurant sectors will open up these sectors for mobility cooperation, and facilitate the safe and secure mobility of Indian nationals and Indian workers in these sectors in Israel. There is also a broad consensus that up to 50,000 Indian workers may arrive in Israel within the next five years to work in these sectors.

Overall, as I said, this has been an incredibly rich visit in terms of outcomes. A very, very productive visit, which has deepened bilateral cooperation across multiple sectors. It underscores the commitment of Prime Minister Modi, in particular to harness technology and innovation for inclusive growth, and the commitment of both leaders to make the bilateral special strategic partnership for peace, innovation, and prosperity more productive and impactful.

The visit has been based, as I said, on trust, which was pointed to by both leaders as a fundamental and very special ingredient of the India-Israel relationship. We feel that a lot of the understandings that have been concluded during the visit will create new opportunities for youth, for businesses, and for entrepreneurs on both sides. Especially in the areas of startups, technology, and STEM sectors, and will provide further impetus to the cooperation that already exists in the agricultural sector.

Given the importance of all of these sectors to the Indian economy, we feel that by leveraging Israeli strengths in science, research, technology, and innovation, the journey of India towards its goals of a Viksit Bharat and an Atmanirbhar Bharat-a developed and self-reliant India-will be realized even further.

Let me stop there. We have a little bit of time, so I'd be happy to take a few questions.

Vishal: Jaise abhi tanaav ke halaat hain Iran aur America ke beech mein, apratyaksh taur par baatcheet ka daur bhi chal raha hai. Kya aise halaat mein Pradhan Mantri Modi aur Benjamin Netanyahu ke beech is Pashchim Asia mein jo tanaav hai usko lekar bhi baatcheet hui hai? Aur kya baatcheet hui, agar uski kuch jaankari mil sake?

[Approximate Translation: Question in Hindi]Given the current tensions between Iran and the United States, even though indirect talks are also underway, was there any discussion between Prime Minister Modi and Benjamin Netanyahu regarding the prevailing tensions in West Asia? And if so, could you share some details about what was discussed?

Sahil Pandey, ANI: Sir, I am Sahil from ANI News Agency. PM went to the tech exhibition yesterday which you mentioned. How it would be relevant and can you describe the technology which was shown to him?

Sanjay Suri, CNN News 18 TV: Sanjay Suri from CNN News 18 TV, sir. Does this visit have any bearing in any way on India's policy on the Palestinian question?

Liza Rozovsky, Haaretz:Hi, Liza Rozovsky from Haaretz. Thank you for doing this, Secretary, it's very important. I wanted to ask, both leaders mentioned IMEC actually several times, but as far as we understand, IMEC depends on normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia, which in turn depends on a pathway to a Palestinian State. I was wondering if the leaders discussed this issue and what, if yes, what did Prime Minister Modi say to Netanyahu regarding this issue. Thank you.

Danny Zaken, Israel Hayom: Danny Zaken from Israel Hayom newspaper. Prime Minister Modi mentioned the Trump plan, the 20 points plan, and the support of India on it. Is that support going to be practical? Is India going to join the efforts of finishing the war in Gaza and the Palestinian issue in general?

Shri Vikram Misri, Foreign Secretary: All right. Vishal, aapka prashn tha jo baatcheet hui hai usme jo abhi ek tarah se humne ek tanaavpurn sthiti hum dekh rahe hain jiska asar is kshetra par bhi padh sakta hai. In sab cheezon ke baare mein main aapse keh sakta hoon ki dono Pradhan Mantriyon ke beech mein iske baare mein baatcheet hui, aur Pradhan Mantri ji ne apna paksh rakha ki Bharat ka hamesha yeh mat raha hai ki jo bhi aisi is tarah ki sthitiyan hon, aur bhi isi kshetra mein dusri bhi sthitiyan hain jo chal rahi hain, in sabhi ka hal baatcheet se aur shantipurvak tareekon ko istemaal karte hue hona chahiye. Aur unhone isme jo bhi Bharat ki aur se jo bhi sahayata ki ja sakti hai ya koi agar pehal li gayi ho jisme Bharat ki madad chahiye to uske baare mein unhone kaha ki Bharat hamesha uske liye taiyaar rahega.

[Approximate Translation: Answer in Hindi]All right. Vishal, your question was about whether the current tense situation - which we are witnessing and which could also have an impact on the wider region - was discussed. I can tell you that this issue did come up in the discussions between the two Prime Ministers. The Prime Minister conveyed India's position, which has consistently been that situations of this nature - as well as other ongoing developments in the region - should be resolved through dialogue and through peaceful means. He also stated that India would remain ready to extend any assistance it can, and that if there is any initiative where India's support is required, India would always be prepared to contribute constructively.

Let me just translate this into English since there was a request. The question was about whether the situation with regard to the issues between Iran and the United States currently ongoing figured in the discussions between the Prime Ministers. And I would just like to mention that the regional situation, these tensions, other tensions as well that figure in the region without going into details did come up for discussions between the two Prime Ministers. The Prime Minister made his point stating India's firm belief in the value of dialogue and the value of pursuing peaceful solutions to all such issues, and also reiterated his readiness to offer India's support if there is any way in which India's support is required to stand ready to offer that support towards a peaceful solution.

Sahil, to your question of the technology exhibitions. See, the relevance is obvious because these were, as I said, there were about 14 Israeli companies that exhibited their products and their offers at this exhibition in the area of communications, in the area of education, in the area of healthcare, in smart mobility, cyber security etc. And all of these are areas that are of relevance to different sectors in India. And I must say that the Prime Minister spent quite a bit of time at the exhibition. He went into considerable detail into the products that were on display and invited each one of the innovators to look for opportunities in India, to look for partnerships in India, and seek to either take forward these products in India or to develop more products in partnership with Indian counterparts. I would say this was a very, very important part of the program as a whole.

Sanjay, your question on the visit and its bearing on the Palestinian question. I think this is something that was made amply clear by the Prime Minister in his address to the Knesset yesterday, where he framed this issue very, very comprehensively. And while speaking about the fact that there have been initiatives that have been taken in the past in this region to try and find a solution to the Palestinian question. Of course, there are developments that have intervened since then and the situation is not the same as it is today in some ways. Perhaps the situation is even more difficult and the path to peace might have become even more challenging, but as he said, this is not the time to lose hope. It is the time to sustain that hope.

And we have in the current context, the Gaza peace initiative, and this goes to the question that was asked by our colleague here as well as to the Prime Minister's reference to the 20 points plan put forward by President Trump, which I should recall was also endorsed by UN Security Council resolution 2803. India has expressed its firm support for the initiative. The Prime Minister said this in his address to the Knesset yesterday, and we firmly believe that it holds the promise of a just, durable, and lasting peace for all the peoples of the region, including by addressing the Palestinian question.

So, again, I can do no more than recall the Prime Minister's words from yesterday, which, if I recall correctly, he said that let all our actions be guided by wisdom, by courage, and by humanity. And I think if we keep those as the pointers for actions in this part of the world, we will find good solutions to these questions through the path of dialogue, aimed at a long-lasting peace and stability in this region.

The question that was posed with regard to IMEC, I can confirm to you that yes, IMEC was discussed between the two leaders at some length. Obviously, the regional situation does weigh on the progress of the initiative and relationships between different countries that potentially lie on the IMEC corridor need to be in a certain state in order for the initiative to make progress. Notwithstanding that, there are countries that are taking steps in their national capacities to work on components of IMEC which will eventually contribute to the corridor as a whole. And those steps are not necessarily dependent on the entire regional situation to be amenable to rolling out the initiative as a whole.

But of course, it is the responsibility, I think, of all the concerned parties to make all efforts necessary to ensure that we arrive at a situation where this extremely important initiative can move forward. And Israel, even though it is not a formal member of IMEC at present, is potentially a very, very important actor in the success of this corridor. And we aim to remain engaged with Israel, with all the other parties, to see how we can realize this initiative at the earliest.

Alexander Cornwell, Reuters: Hi, Alexander Cornwell from Reuters. I just want to follow up with a question about Gaza and US President's peace plan. Does India see a role for itself when it comes to reconstruction, when it comes to deploying some kind of personnel to the ISF? What role is India looking to have, if at all, in the post-war Gaza plan, or is it staying out of it for the time being?

Shri Vikram Misri, Foreign Secretary: Thank you. Thank you for that question. I actually, I think there was a colleague who had addressed this part of the question and I missed answering that. Yes, we do see a role. What exactly that role is going to be will depend on, I think, a little bit more clarity as to how things will actually develop on the ground in Gaza. I am not going to speculate at this point in time as to which exactly is the area in which we may come in.

But I can tell you with some conviction that India has very specific capabilities and very specific capacities which would be of considerable relevance in a situation of the kind that we see on the ground in Gaza. I won't go into further detail at the moment, but we do have the capacity to contribute.

You would be no stranger to the fact that we already are implementing a large number of projects for the benefit of the Palestinian communities to the extent of nearly $ 170 million as we speak. And there are about $ 40 million dollars worth of projects in the pipeline, again, in the areas of education, healthcare, capacity building, and similar areas. But even speaking about what would be required as a consequence of the Gaza peace initiative moving forward, we would have capacities to contribute at the right time on the ground.

Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: Thank you. With that, ladies and gentlemen, sorry, we have a schedule to keep. With that, we come to the close of this press conference. Thank you very much.

Jerusalem
February 26, 2026