Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has praised India’s support for Israel, saying the country stands out at a time when Israel faces criticism in several parts of the world.
Speaking at a conference
in the West Bank on Thursday, Netanyahu highlighted the strong public support Israel enjoys in India. “We face delegitimisation in much of the world, but not in India,” he said. Referring to the goodwill towards Israel among Indians, Netanyahu added, “In India, there is an absolutely crazy love for Israel, truly crazy. I think I have more followers from India than from anywhere else.”
The Israeli Prime Minister said India occupies a special place in Israel’s global outreach efforts and described the relationship between the two countries as unique and steadily growing.
His remarks come months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Jerusalem in February 2026, during which the two leaders elevated bilateral ties to a “Special Strategic Partnership for Peace, Innovation and Prosperity”.
During the visit, India and Israel reaffirmed their commitment to expanding cooperation in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, semiconductors, biotechnology, agriculture, defence, water management, fintech and space technology.
Several agreements were signed in areas including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, education, agriculture, fisheries, financial technology and trade. The leaders also reviewed defence cooperation following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on Defence Cooperation in November 2025.
Both countries agreed to deepen collaboration in critical and emerging technologies through initiatives led by their National Security Advisors. They also announced plans to explore linking India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) with Israel’s fast payment system to facilitate seamless cross border digital payments.
