PM Modi visits Israel after 9 years: Will address Parliament, opposition threatens boycott; Negotiations on arms deal possible

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will leave for a two-day visit to Israel today. This is his second visit to Israel in the last 9 years. Earlier he had gone in July 2017. After reaching the capital Tel Aviv on Wednesday, PM Modi will hold private talks with Netanyahu. Modi will also address the Israeli Parliament today. He will be the first Indian Prime Minister to do so. Apart from this, he will also participate in the Indian community program and visit the technology exhibition. There is a possibility of talks on arms deals between India and Israel during this visit of Modi. These include drones and anti-ballistic missile systems. Earlier on Sunday, Netanyahu had said that he was waiting for his dear friend to come to Israel. Israeli opposition may boycott Modi’s speech. Modi’s speech in the Israeli Parliament is embroiled in a controversy over domestic politics. Israel’s opposition plans to boycott a special session of parliament on Wednesday. The controversy is about not inviting Supreme Court Chief Justice Isaac Ameet. According to Israeli media reports, Parliament Speaker Amir Ohana has not invited the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court to the special session. As per tradition, the Chief Justice is called in such formal sessions. The conflict between the ruling party and the opposition regarding this has intensified. Opposition leader and former Prime Minister Yair Lapid has called for intervention from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He wrote on Twitter that the boycott of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is actually a boycott of the opposition as well. Lapid said he did not want to embarrass India by having the Prime Minister of a country with a population of 1.5 billion address a half-empty Parliament. Tomorrow, Modi will visit the memorial related to the genocide of Jews. On the second day of the tour, Modi will visit Israel’s historical Holocaust memorial ‘Yad Vashem’ on 26 February. This memorial is built in memory of more than 6 million Jews killed during Hitler’s Nazi regime in Germany. About 15 lakh children were also included in these. The memorial complex houses a vast collection of names, documents and historical records of the victims. The details of lakhs of victims are recorded in the ‘Book of Names’ kept here. The Prime Minister will view these archives and pay tribute to the victims of the Holocaust. After Yad Vashem, Prime Minister Modi will meet Israeli President Isaac Herzog. Further strengthening of political, cultural and strategic ties will be discussed in the meeting. The two leaders will discuss regional stability, the current situation in West Asia and global challenges. Drone deal possible between India and Israel: Modi will attend a meeting with Netanyahu immediately after meeting the President. According to the BBC report, during this period, many major defense agreements including the purchase and joint manufacturing of drones can be agreed upon between India and Israel. According to Forbes India, a defense agreement worth $8.6 billion is possible between the two countries in 2026. This may also include advanced drones along with precision guided bombs and missile systems. According to reports, India is planning to buy Heron MK-2 MALE drone. This drone can fly continuously for 45 hours, can lift 470 kg load and can reach a height of 35 thousand feet. Apart from this, discussions are also possible on issues like cooperation against terrorism, India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), trade and investment, advanced technology and innovation. However, no official announcement has been made yet regarding possible agreements. There can also be talks on Iron Dome defense system. Israel can share the technology of its advanced air defense system Iron Dome with India. This information was given by Israel’s Consul General Yaniv Revach in an interview given to IANS in Mumbai. He said that talks regarding Iron Dome are also included in the agenda between the two countries. He said that Israel is there to share this technology with India. Revach said the two countries already have a strong defense relationship. Now taking this forward, the focus will be on manufacturing military equipment in India. He said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also described defense cooperation as an important agenda of this visit. Talks on FTA continue in India-Israel. This visit of Modi is taking place at a time when the first round of talks on Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and Israel has started in New Delhi on 23 February 2026 and it will continue till 26 February 2026. In November 2025, both the countries had signed the Terms of Reference, which decided which issues would be discussed and how it would be taken forward. The total goods trade between the two countries stood at US $ 3.62 billion in the financial year 2024-25. Both countries are beneficial to each other in many areas. This FTA will help in increasing trade between the two and provide greater confidence and stability to businesses, especially small and medium industries. During this conversation, experts from both the countries are discussing different issues. These include issues like trade in goods and services, rules of origin, health and plant related rules, technical barriers to trade, custom processes, measures to ease trade and intellectual property rights. Questions raised on the timing of Modi’s visit to Israel. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs has raised questions regarding the timing of Modi’s visit to Israel. This visit is taking place at a time when tension between America and Iran is increasing in West Asia. America’s military activities have intensified. In the committee meeting on Monday, some MPs raised questions as to how appropriate it is for the Prime Minister to visit Israel at a time when India has advised its citizens to leave Iran due to the threat of a possible US attack. On this, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said that all Prime Minister level visits are decided keeping security in mind, but he did not say whether the visit would be canceled if tensions increase. The meeting was chaired by committee chairman Shashi Tharoor. Some MPs alleged that the government was giving too much importance to America’s influence in foreign policy and this could affect India’s strategic independence. Modi is the only Indian PM to visit Israel so far. Modi is the only Indian Prime Minister to visit Israel. No Indian Prime Minister had visited Israel for 70 years. In 2017, Modi took this historic step and marked a new beginning in the relations between the two countries. India recognized Israel in 1950, established diplomatic relations in 1992, but no Prime Minister-level visit took place. A major reason for this was India’s traditional pro-Palestine policy. Modi’s first visit in July 2017 was described as ‘path-breaking’. During that time, agreements were signed between the two countries in sectors related to defence, agriculture, water management and technology. India was once against the formation of Israel. Even though today there is warmth in the relations between India and Israel, initially India was against the formation of Israel. India did not want Palestine to be divided and Israel to be created. Mahatma Gandhi wrote in his weekly paper Harijan in 1938 that Palestine belongs to the Arabs as much as England belongs to the British and France to the French. He sympathized with the German atrocities against the Jews, but also said that the problems of any oppressed community cannot be solved by settling them on the land of another community. In 1947, when the United Nations proposed to divide Palestine into two parts, the Jewish State (Israel) and the Arab State (Palestine), India opposed it. India believed that this partition was being done under external pressure and would not bring lasting peace. Even after independence, India remained firm on its stand. In 1949, when Israel’s UN membership was voted on, India voted against it. The policy of this period laid the foundation of India’s foreign policy. This is why in the early decades, India established itself as a supporter of Palestinian rights and a balancing country in the politics of West Asia. —————————— Also read this news… Claim- Former PM of Norway tried to commit suicide: Name appeared in Epstein file; Former Prime Minister of Norway Thorbjorn Jagland may face 10 years in jail in corruption case. Former Prime Minister of Norway Thorbjorn Jagland has been admitted to the hospital after allegedly attempting suicide. 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