{"id":26084,"date":"2026-02-26T03:01:07","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T08:01:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.stingfm.com\/news\/modi-hails-israel-ties-in-knesset-address\/"},"modified":"2026-02-26T03:01:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T08:01:07","slug":"modi-hails-israel-ties-in-knesset-address","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stingfm.com\/news\/modi-hails-israel-ties-in-knesset-address\/","title":{"rendered":"Modi hails Israel ties in Knesset address"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p><strong>Defense and security are \u201cimportant pillars\u201d of relations between the countries, the Indian leader has said<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has hailed his country\u2019s ties with Israel in a speech to its parliament, in which he invoked civilizational traditions and philosophical parallels.<\/p>\n<p>In his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mea.gov.in\/Speeches-Statements.htm?dtl\/40821\/Prime_Ministers_Address_to_the_Knesset_February_25_2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">address to the Knesset<\/a>, the first by an Indian prime minister, Modi also described defense and security as <em>\u201cimportant pillars\u201d<\/em> of bilateral ties.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cIn November last year, we signed an MOU on defense cooperation,\u201d<\/em> Modi said. <em>\u201cIn today\u2019s uncertain world, a strong defence partnership between trusted partners like India and Israel is of vital importance.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>India has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbesindia.com\/article\/upfront\/news-by-numbers\/graphic-of-the-day-indias-largest-defence-deals\/2991371\/1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reportedly<\/a> entered into arms deals with Israel worth $8.6 billion this year.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Addressing the Knesset. Do watch my speech. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KnessetENG?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@KnessetENG<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/a8V6Ah5HwY\">https:\/\/t.co\/a8V6Ah5HwY<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/narendramodi\/status\/2026684788283945135?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 25, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Modi said that long before establishing bilateral ties, the countries were linked by a relationship that dates back 2,000 years.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cJewish merchants traveled across sea routes that connected the Mediterranean with the Indian Ocean. They came seeking opportunity and dignity. And, in India, they became one of us,\u201d<\/em> he said.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cThe Bene Israel of Maharashtra, the Cochin Jews of Keralam, the Baghdadi Jews of Kolkata and Mumbai, and the Bnei Menashe of the North East have enriched India,\u201d<\/em> Modi added.<\/p>\n<p>The Indian leader said the countries will also work closely in different formats, including the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor and the I2U2 framework between India, Israel, the UAE, and the US.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\n        <span><strong>Read more<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<figure>\n            <imgsrc=\"\" alt=\"FILE PHOTO: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu.\"><figcaption><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rt.com\/india\/633025-indian-prime-ministers-israel-trip\/\">What\u2019s so controversial about Modi\u2019s state visit to Israel?<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><em>\u201cSoon, we will be among the top three economies globally. At the same time, Israel is a powerhouse of innovation and technological leadership,\u201d<\/em> Modi said.<\/p>\n<p>He added that bilateral goods trade has grown manifold, though it does not reflect the full scope of opportunity. <em>\u201cOur teams are working hard to negotiate an ambitious Free Trade Agreement. It will unlock the vast untapped potential in our trade relationship,\u201d<\/em> Modi said.<\/p>\n<p>He referred to India\u2019s trade pacts with the European Union, the UK, the UAE, and Oman.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cWe are also working with Israel on creating cross-border financial linkages using our Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI),\u201d<\/em> Modi said.<\/p>\n<p>India\u2019s DPI has been built around the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rt.com\/india\/588327-weaponization-technology-developing-world\/\">critical domains <\/a>of digital identity, payments, banking, and health.<\/p>\n<p>Modi also hailed Israeli expertise in precision irrigation and water management, and said this has transformed agricultural practices in India.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Defense and security are \u201cimportant pillars\u201d of relations between the countries, the Indian leader has said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has hailed his country\u2019s ties with Israel in a speech to its parliament, in which he invoked civilizational traditions and philosophical parallels. In his address to the Knesset, the first by an Indian prime [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":79,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[483],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26084","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-rt-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.8.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Modi hails Israel ties in Knesset address - Sting FM<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Modi hails Israel ties in Knesset address - Sting FM\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Defense and security are \u201cimportant pillars\u201d of relations between the countries, the Indian leader has said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has hailed his country\u2019s ties with Israel in a speech to its parliament, in which he invoked civilizational traditions and philosophical parallels. 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