{"id":87241,"date":"2026-10-23T17:45:43","date_gmt":"2026-10-23T12:15:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=87241"},"modified":"2026-10-23T17:47:29","modified_gmt":"2026-10-23T12:17:29","slug":"india-israel-relations-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/23-10-2026\/india-israel-relations-3","title":{"rendered":"India-Israel Discussed Bilateral Ties and the Situation in West Asia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/IR<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Prime Minister Modi and Israel PM Netanyahu discussed<strong> India-Israel relations and the situation in West Asia over a phone call.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Israeli Prime Minister invited PM Modi and Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar to jointly light a torch on Israel\u2019s Independence Day.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>India and Israel Bilateral Relations &amp; Evolving Ties<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Bilateral Relations: <\/strong>India announced its recognition of Israel in <strong>1950<\/strong>. Regular embassies opened in <strong>1992 <\/strong>when full diplomatic relations were established between the <strong>two countries.\u00a0<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In 2017, both countries upgraded the ties to the <strong>Strategic partnership.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>In 2022-23,<\/strong> the two countries jointly celebrated<strong> 30 years of the elevation of bilateral ties to full diplomatic ties.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Defense &amp; Security: <\/strong>Israel has been a <strong>key supplier of advanced technology<\/strong> from <strong>AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System)<\/strong> radars and drones to missile and surveillance systems making it one of<strong> India\u2019s largest defense suppliers.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Bilateral Trade: India is Israel\u2019s 2nd trading partner in <\/strong>Asia and the <strong>7th largest <\/strong>globally.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>In FY 2023-24 and FY 2024-25 <\/strong>the bilateral trade (excluding defense) was US$ 6.53 billion and US$3.75 billion respectively.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Investment: <\/strong>During April 2000 \u2013 March 2024, Israel&#8217;s direct FDI into India was U.S. $334.2 million.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>There are over 300 investments from Israel in India mainly in the <strong>high-tech domain, agriculture and water.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>India and Israel signed a Bilateral Investment Agreement (BIA) in 2025, <\/strong>the<strong> BIA replaces<\/strong> the earlier investment treaty signed in <strong>1996<\/strong>, which was terminated in <strong>2017 <\/strong>as part of India\u2019s policy overhaul on such agreements.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Agriculture &amp; Water Management:<\/strong> In 1993, the first Agreement on Cooperation in Agriculture was signed.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>2006: <\/strong>Comprehensive Work Plan on Agriculture launched (3-year cycles) \u2013 implemented through MASHAV (Israel\u2019s Agency for International Development Cooperation).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>2025: <\/strong>Revised Agriculture Cooperation Agreement signed, expanding areas of partnership.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The<strong> Indo-Israeli Centers of Excellence (CoE)<\/strong> demonstrate Israeli expertise, technologies and innovation in the horticultural field.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Science, Technology, Counter-Terrorism &amp; Innovation: <\/strong>India-Israel cooperation in Science &amp; Technology (S&amp;T) is overseen by the <strong>Joint Committee on S&amp;T, <\/strong>established under the Agreement of Science &amp; Technology cooperation signed in <strong>1993.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>A US$ 40 million India-Israel Industrial R&amp;D<\/strong> and Technological Innovation Fund (I4F) for joint projects was also set up.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Multilateral Cooperation: <\/strong>Both are active members of the<strong> I2U2 group<\/strong> (India, Israel, USA, UAE), focusing on economic and space collaboration with projects like food parks and space-based environmental tools.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Significance for India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Defence &amp; security: Israel <\/strong>is a<strong> reliable partner<\/strong> for <strong>critical technologies<\/strong> for India and can be instrumental in India\u2019s Self Reliance and Make in India.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Agriculture &amp; water:<\/strong> Israel is known for its <strong>model of innovation, water conservation, and high-yield farming,<\/strong> India can adopt these technologies with collaboration.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Geopolitics: <\/strong>It is an important<strong> <\/strong>strategic partner for India in West Asia that complements <strong>India\u2019s Act West policy.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background\" style=\"background-color:#fff2cc\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>West Asia<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>West Asia is the westernmost subregion of Asia. It broadly includes the <strong>following countries:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Arabian Peninsula:<\/strong> Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Levant:<\/strong> Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Israel and Palestine.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Other major countries:<\/strong> Iraq, Iran and T\u00fcrkiye.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Other countries often included in broader definitions:<\/strong> Cyprus and parts of the South Caucasus, depending on the geographical classification.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The terms <strong>West Asia and Middle East are often used interchangeably,<\/strong> although their precise geographical boundaries can differ.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The region is strategically located, bordered by <strong>Africa to the west and Europe to the north,<\/strong> with significant bodies of water such as the<strong> Mediterranean Sea, the Persian Gulf, and the Caspian Sea<\/strong> surrounding it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"d2bea7\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"458\" height=\"538\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-154.png\" alt=\"west asia\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-87242\" style=\"--dominant-color: #d2bea7; aspect-ratio:0.8513215219285507;width:404px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-154.png 458w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-154-255x300.png 255w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 458px) 100vw, 458px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Implications of Crisis in West Asia on India:&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>India\u2019s Energy Security: <\/strong>The conflict directly threatens energy security because a large share of India\u2019s crude oil imports comes from the Gulf region.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Rising global oil prices increase India\u2019s import bill, widen the current account deficit, and may contribute to inflationary pressures within the domestic economy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Indian Diaspora: <\/strong>Millions of Indian workers reside in Gulf countries, making their safety a key concern during periods of regional conflict.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Remittances: <\/strong>India has nearly one crore expatriates who invest billions of dollars in the economy through remittances, real estate, stock markets, and more, the war can cause a big impact on it.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Investments: <\/strong>The UAE\u2019s Golden Visa has successfully attracted new-age tech and start-up millionaires and billionaires from India, many of whom live in Dubai and run enterprises in India.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The war could impact these and can crash trillion-dollar brands and investments.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Ahead<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India\u2013Israel ties are a <strong>strategic partnership <\/strong>spanning defence, agriculture, water, innovation, and trade.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Defence and agriculture <\/strong>remain the strongest pillars, while cooperation is expanding into new domains like<strong> food security, startups, and I2U2 multilateralism.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/pm-modi-emphasises-dialogue-diplomacy-in-call-with-netanyahu-over-west-asia-situation\/article71611957.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>TH<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong> Context <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Prime Minister Modi and Israel PM Netanyahu discussed India-Israel relations and the situation in West Asia over a phone call. <\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong> India and Israel Bilateral Relations &#038; Evolving Ties <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Bilateral Relations: India announced its recognition of Israel in 1950. Regular embassies opened in 1992 when full diplomatic relations were established between the two countries.\u00a0 <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> In 2017, both countries upgraded the ties to the Strategic partnership. <\/li>\n<p><a href=\" https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/23-10-2026\/india-israel-relations-3 \" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-87241","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87241","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=87241"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87241\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":87245,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87241\/revisions\/87245"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87241"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87241"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87241"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}