Jerusalem, Feb 26 (.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Israel concluded with a sweeping portfolio of concrete deliverables ranging from trade architecture, workforce mobility, technology partnerships, and humanitarian commitments, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri described as “an incredibly rich visit in terms of outcomes.”
Perhaps the most structurally significant outcome of the visit was the completion of what Foreign Secretary Misri called a “triad” of economic frameworks binding the two nations.
India and Israel signed a bilateral investment agreement as recently as September 2024. Building on that foundation, a negotiating team from Israel arrived in India this week for the first round of talks on a bilateral free trade agreement- a milestone that could reshape the commercial relationship between the two countries.
To complete the architecture, both sides announced the launch of a bilateral financial dialogue, creating a formal channel for ongoing economic coordination at the highest levels.
The visit produced a landmark breakthrough on human mobility as well. The signing of an implementation protocol covering the commerce and services, manufacturing, and restaurant sectors will formally open these industries to Indian skilled workers in Israel.
“In recent years, mobility has been a sunrise sector of cooperation between the two countries, and considerable progress has been made. Nearly 42,000 Indian skilled workers have travelled 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 movement 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,” Misri said.
Responding to a question related to the Israeli tech innovation exhibition, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said, “The relevance is obvious because about 14 Israeli companies exhibited their products and offerings at this exhibition in the areas of communications, education, healthcare, smart mobility, cybersecurity, and so on. All of these are areas relevant to different sectors in India.”
Misri noted that PM Modi personally engaged at length with each innovator, extending a direct invitation for Israeli companies to seek partnerships in India, bring their products to Indian markets, or co-develop new solutions with Indian counterparts — a hands-on approach that signalled the seriousness of India’s intent to leverage Israeli technological depth.
On the humanitarian front, India reaffirmed its commitment to Palestinian communities, noting that it is already implementing projects worth nearly USD 170 million in areas of education, healthcare, and capacity building, with a further USD 40 million in the pipeline. Misri indicated that India sees a role for itself in Gaza’s reconstruction as the peace process develops, with specific capabilities and capacities ready to be deployed at the right moment.
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