Modi Heads to Israel on High-Profile Visit; Congress Flags ‘Moral Cowardice’ on Palestine

New Delhi, 25 Feb 2026 Prime Minister Narendra Modi has left for a two-day state visit to Israel, marking his second trip to the country in the last ten years. His previous visit in 2017 was seen as a turning point in India-Israel ties, and this visit is expected to build further on that momentum. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the Prime Minister will hold detailed talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and will also meet Israel’s President Isaac Herzog. The leaders are set to review the progress made under the India-Israel Strategic Partnership and explore new opportunities in defence, security, science and technology, innovation, agriculture, water management, trade, economy, and people-to-people exchanges. They are also expected to exchange views on regional and global issues of shared concern. The MEA said the visit aims to “reaffirm the deep and long-standing strategic partnership between the two countries” and will help both sides assess common challenges while aligning efforts to achieve their shared vision of cooperation between “two resilient democracies.” The visit to Tel Aviv is being projected by the government as a step towards strengthening long-term strategic and economic engagement. However, the visit has drawn sharp criticism from the Indian National Congress. Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh accused the Modi government of abandoning the Palestinian cause. In a post on X, he wrote, “Israel’s dispossession and displacement of thousands of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank has intensified and drawn worldwide condemnation.” He further questioned the timing of the visit, alleging that despite India’s historic support for Palestine, the government’s stance now appears “cynical and hypocritical.” Ramesh also pointed out that India was among the first countries to recognise the State of Palestine in 1988, adding that the visit sends a troubling political message at a sensitive moment. Modi Heads to Israel on High-Profile Visit; Congress Flags ‘Moral Cowardice’ on Palestine Prime Minister Narendra Modi has left for a two-day state visit to Israel, marking his second trip to the country in the last ten years. His previous visit in 2017 was seen as a turning point in India-Israel ties, and this visit is expected to build further on that momentum. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the Prime Minister will hold detailed talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and will also meet Israel’s President Isaac Herzog. The leaders are set to review the progress made under the India-Israel Strategic Partnership and explore new opportunities in defence, security, science and technology, innovation, agriculture, water management, trade, economy, and people-to-people exchanges. They are also expected to exchange views on regional and global issues of shared concern. The MEA said the visit aims to “reaffirm the deep and long-standing strategic partnership between the two countries” and will help both sides assess common challenges while aligning efforts to achieve their shared vision of cooperation between “two resilient democracies.” The visit to Tel Aviv is being projected by the government as a step towards strengthening long-term strategic and economic engagement. However, the visit has drawn sharp criticism from the Indian National Congress. Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh accused the Modi government of abandoning the Palestinian cause. In a post on X, he wrote, “Israel’s dispossession and displacement of thousands of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank has intensified and drawn worldwide condemnation.” He further questioned the timing of the visit, alleging that despite India’s historic support for Palestine, the government’s stance now appears “cynical and hypocritical.” Ramesh also pointed out that India was among the first countries to recognise the State of Palestine in 1988, adding that the visit sends a troubling political message at a sensitive moment.