PM Modi to address Knesset in Israel today | LIVE

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Israel’s Opposition has said it would boycott PM Modi’s address to the Israeli Parliament if President of the Supreme Court of Israel, Yitzhak Amit, is not invited as per protocol.

Updated - February 25, 2026 08:55 am IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Israel on a two-day visit from February 25, sources said on Monday (February 16, 2026). Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu first broke news of PM Modi’s visit while addressing the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organisations in Jerusalem on Sunday (February 15). “Parliament address on the anvil. Who’s coming here next week? Narendra Modi,” Mr. Netanyahu told the gathering.

Also Read | PM Modi’s Israel visit faces geopolitical headwinds

Over the course of the 24-hour visit from February 25 to 26, most of the engagements planned will see the leaders together. Mr. Netanyahu will receive PM Modi at the airport in Tel Aviv, as he did during the last visit in July 2017, and the two leaders are expected to travel together to Jerusalem. Apart from bilateral talks and press statements on Thursday (February 26), they will both attend PM Modi’s address to the Knesset, a private dinner, an innovation event, a visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial museum and possibly a meeting with the diaspora in Israel, billed as an interaction with the “Indian-Jewish” community settled there.

PM Modi is likely to touch upon all issues of bilateral and regional interest during his two-day visit.

Also Read | An Israel visit — its strategic, economic, regional impact

This would be his second visit to Israel, the first being in July 2017, which was also the first ever by an Indian Prime Minister to the Jewish state. The high-profile visit of the Indian Prime Minister comes on the heels of several other high-level ministerial exchanges from both sides.

February 25, 2026 08:55
Israel’s LoP requests Netanyahu to facilitate Opposition’s participation in Modi’s parliamentary address
Israel’s opposition has pleaded with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resolve the ongoing political crisis to ensure its participation during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to the Knesset.
Mr. Modi will undertake a two-day visit to Israel beginning Wednesday to shore up bilateral defence and trade cooperation.
PM Modi’s engagements will include his address to Israel’s parliament (Knesset), wide-ranging talks with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu and a meeting with President Isaac Herzog.
Israel’s opposition is demanding that the President of the Supreme Court of Israel, Yitzhak Amit, be invited to PM Modi’s address to the parliament, as per protocol, otherwise they will not attend the event.
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February 25, 2026 08:49
An Israel visit — its strategic, economic, regional impact
The West Asian region is staring at the possibility of its worst-ever military conflict with one of the largest American military buildups in the Persian Gulf. Iran is defiant and has refused to bow down to ‘unreasonable demands’ from the United States. Concurrently, in Gaza, although the ceasefire has held since October 2025, the prospects of lasting peace still look remote. In addition, emerging fault lines in the region are drawing allies such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia into opposing military blocs.
This will be PM Modi’s second visit to Israel, following his historic first visit in July 2017 — the first by any Indian Prime Minister. Notably, this is a standalone visit with no engagement with Palestinian Authority leadership, highlighting India’s success in “de-hyphenating” its Israel engagement.
An Israel visit — its strategic, economic, regional impact
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Israel is a standalone visit and one that defines an important partnership
February 25, 2026 08:45
PM Modi’s Israel visit faces geopolitical headwinds
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi prepares for a stand-alone visit to Israel on Wednesday to upgrade bilateral relations, its timing faces geopolitical headwinds.
While defence and security, labour and trade, AI and technology, and IMEC project connectivity will be at the top of the agenda for his meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the outcomes will go beyond bilateral agreements to their symbolism and the message they send to the wider West Asian region.
Mr. Netanyahu’s plans to announce a “hexagonal alliance” with India, Greece and Cyprus, and some unnamed Arab, African and Asian countries against “both radical Sunni and Shia axes”, will be watched closely by those countries seen to be targeted, including Iran, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, each of which has historical and complex ties with India. Any announcements on trilateral cooperation between India, the UAE and Israel during the visit will also have an impact in the region, where UAE-Saudi tensions are rising.
PM Modi’s Israel visit faces geopolitical headwinds
Modi's Israel visit encounters geopolitical challenges amid regional tensions, U.S. threats, and complex international relations dynamics.
February 25, 2026 08:45
Ahead of PM’s expected Israel visit, India strikes balancing act, hosts Arab Foreign Ministers
Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s expected visit to Israel later this month, India is striking a balancing act, reaching out to the Arab world and hosting the second India-Arab Foreign Ministers meeting on Friday (January 30, 2026). Palestine’s Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian Shahin will attend the meeting, a day after she called on India to contribute to the massive reconstruction work required in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip.
“The invitation was extended,” Israeli Ambassador Reuven Azar told news agency ANI in Delhi, in response to reports about the impending visit. “We are in preparations, and in due time, there will be declarations regarding specific dates,” he added.
Read the whole story here
February 25, 2026 08:45
PM Modi on two-day visit to Israel from today, to address Knesset
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Israel on a two-day visit from February 25, sources said on Monday (February 16, 2026).
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu first broke news of Mr. Modi’s visit while addressing the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organisations in Jerusalem on Sunday (February 15). “Parliament address on the anvil. Who’s coming here next week? Narendra Modi,” Mr. Netanyahu told the gathering.
“Tremendous alliance between Israel and India, and we are going to discuss all sorts of cooperation. Now, you know, India is not a small country. It has 1.4 billion people. India is enormously powerful, enormously popular,” he added.
A source in Jerusalem told PTI that PM Modi’s visit is “likely to be short from February 25 to 26”, but “its impact is deep given the popularity Modi enjoys not only in Israel but around the world”.
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