Prime Minister Narendra Modi greets as he emplanes for a two-day visit to Israel, in New Delhi on Wednesday.
| Photo Credit: ANI
Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in Israel on Wednesday to review with his counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, the India-Israel Strategic Partnership and to discuss further opportunities in various areas of cooperation, including science and technology. Modi’s visit to Israel in 2017 was the first by any Indian prime minister.
The visit comes shortly after India aligned with more than 100 countries at the United Nations in criticising Israel’s moves in the West Bank, signing a joint statement after initially staying away from a collective condemnation of settlement expansion.
India and Israel established full diplomatic relations in 1992. The relationship has deepened significantly over the past decade across defence, trade, technology and labour mobility.
From about $200 million in 1992, bilateral trade has expanded significantly, peaking at over $10.7 billion in 2022-23. It declined to $6.5 billion in 2023-24 and further down to $3.6 billion in 2024-25 due to war-related disruptions and trouble in the trade route. Since 2014-15, India has maintained a trade surplus with Israel. The surplus widened sharply to $6.1 billion in 2022-23, before narrowing to $2.5 billion in 2023-24 and further down to $663 million in 2024-25.
In the 2019-2025 period, refined products made from crude oil such as petrol and diesel accounted for nearly 44% of India’s exports to Israel, followed by diamonds at about 22%. On the import side too diamonds dominate, making up about a third of India’s imports from Israel. Diamonds are imported as raw stones from Israel, cut and polished in India and the processed diamonds are exported back. Mineral or chemical fertilisers, electronic integrated circuits and radar apparatus are also significant imports from Israel to India.
Defense cooperation remains the cornerstone of the India-Israel strategic partnership.
Over the past decade, India has emerged as one of the largest importers of Israel’s arms and ammunitions. According to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), India accounted for 32% of Israel’s arms exports between 1997 and 2024.
Israel’s cumulative foreign direct investment (FDI) into India has crossed $347 million between 2000 and September 2025, according to government data. Israel has made over 300 investments in India, mainly in the technology domain. Indian companies too have invested in Israeli technology firms, particularly in sectors such as cybersecurity, agriculture, water management and electric mobility. Cumulative overseas direct investment (ODI) from India between April 2000 and April 2025 was $443 million.
The partnership also aligns with India’s “Make in India” push, with Israeli firms increasingly collaborating with Indian companies to manufacture equipment locally.
Another key dimension of the relationship is migration and mobility.
As of 2024, around 32,715 Indians travelled to Israel, up from about 27,196 in 2023.
A significant portion of this movement is linked to employment. Official data shows that there were around 32,000 Indian workers in Israel as of October 2024, many of whom were recruited after the outbreak of the Gaza conflict to replace Palestinian labour in the construction sector. These workers are primarily employed in construction roles. In addition to workers, around 900 Indian students are currently studying in Israel.
Published – February 25, 2026 04:34 pm IST
