Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his “friend” Indian PM Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to Israel will boost “economic cooperation, diplomatic cooperation, and security cooperation”. He said the
visit was part of creating an alliance against radical outfits in the Middle East.
“On Wednesday, the Prime Minister of India, my friend Narendra Modi, will arrive in Israel. In the vision I see before my eyes, we will create a complete system of alliances around or within the Middle East. An axis of countries that see reality, the challenges, and the goals with one eye, facing the radical axes,” Netanyahu said at the opening of a government meeting.
ראש הממשלה בנימין נתניהו בפתח ישיבת הממשלה:
״ברביעי יגיע לישראל ראש ממשלת הודו, ידידי נרנדרה מודי. בחזון שאני רואה לנגד עיניי, אנחנו נייצר מערכת שלמה של בריתות סביב או בתוך המזרח התיכון. ציר של מדינות שרואות את המציאות, האתגרים והיעדים בעין אחת מול הצירים הרדיקלים.״ pic.twitter.com/W0ebBpa4pK
— ראש ממשלת ישראל (@IsraeliPM_heb) February 22, 2026
Netanyahu said the special relationship that has developed in recent years between Israel and India, and called PM Modi a personal friend. “I visited India, and Modi visited here. We have swum in the Mediterranean, and much water has flowed since then—in the Mediterranean, in the Ganges, and in the Jordan,” he said.
The Israeli Prime Minister said Modi’s visit will result in closer economic, diplomatic and security cooperation, along with that in high-tech, in AI and quantum processes.
Netanyahu says that Israel “will create an entire system — essentially a kind of hexagon of alliances — around or within the Middle East,” listing India, Greece, Cyprus, and unnamed Arab, African and Asian countries.
“The intention here is to create an axis of countries that see reality, the challenges, and the goals in the same way, in contrast to the radical axes,” he said. “Both the radical Shiite axis, which we have hit very hard, and also the emerging axis — the radical Sunni axis. All these countries share a different outlook, and cooperation between us can yield very great fruits and, of course, also ensure our strength and our future.”
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PM Modi’s Israel Visit
PM Modi will embark on a two-day visit to Israel from February 25 as New Delhi is preparing to strengthen its strategic and defence partnership with Tel Aviv significantly. The two sides are likely to sign an MoU on security cooperation.
India is particularly interested in jointly developing advanced anti-ballistic missile systems under Mission Sudershan, aimed at shielding Indian territory from long-range missile threats. Israel’s expertise in layered missile defence makes it a key partner in the domain.
Israel has also reportedly agreed to provide cutting-edge technologies, including advanced laser-based defence systems and other high-precision stand-off weapons, according to reports. Beyond defence, the visit is expected to deepen cooperation in science and technology, agriculture, water management, and emerging fields like quantum computing.
