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India-Israel Elevate Ties to Special Strategic Partnership

  • 27 Feb 2026

On 26th February 2026, India and Israel signed 16 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day state visit to Israel, formally elevating bilateral ties to a ‘Special Strategic Partnership’.

Key Points

  • UPI-Based Cross-Border Remittances: An MoU between NPCI International (NIPL) and Israel’s MASAV will enable cross-border remittances using India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI).
  • India-Israel Innovation Centre for Agriculture (IINCA): Established under ICAR and MASHAV, the centre will focus on precision farming, satellite-based irrigation, advanced machinery, pest management, germplasm exchange, post-harvest solutions and capacity building.
  • Fisheries & Aquaculture Cooperation: Agreement promotes sustainable, technology-driven aquaculture systems including mariculture, seaweed cultivation, disease management, R&D and training.
  • Geophysical & AI Collaboration: MoU on mineral exploration using advanced geophysical and AI technologies.
  • Maritime Heritage Development: Cooperation for development of the National Maritime Heritage Complex at Lothal, Gujarat.
  • Cultural Exchange Programme (2026-2029): Covers music, theatre, dance, visual arts and festivals.
  • AI In Education: Focus on innovative pedagogy, teacher development and equitable access.
  • Strategic Foresight: Collaboration on horizon scanning for risk assessment and long-term planning.
  • Labour Mobility Protocols: Three agreements facilitate regulated recruitment of Indian workers in commerce, services, manufacturing and restaurant sectors.
  • Cybersecurity Cooperation: Letter of intent to establish an Indo-Israel Cyber Centre of Excellence in India.
  • Fintech & Arbitration: MoUs between International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) and Israel Securities Authority (ISA) on fintech and regtech; and between Israeli Institute of Commercial Arbitration (IICA) and Indian Council of Arbitration (ICA) on commercial arbitration.
  • Academic Exchanges: Collaboration between Nalanda University and Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Buddhist studies, archaeology, mathematics and international relations.