JERUSALEM: India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday that India and Israel had pledged to fight terrorism “shoulder to shoulder”, as he concluded a two-day visit focused on deepening strategic ties.

The trip, which has drawn criticism at home, marks Modi’s second visit to Israel as prime minister since he took office in 2014.

Modi, who addressed Israel’s parliament a day earlier, spoke of future cooperation between Israel and India in a variety of fields including technology and energy.

“Together, we will move forward towards joint development, joint production, and the transfer of technology,” Modi said, standing alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem.

“At the same time, we will also advance our cooperation in areas such as civil nuclear energy and space.” Both leaders used the visit to announce a series of initiatives aimed at deepening trade and technological cooperation.

“India and Israel are clear that there is no place for terrorism in the world, in any form... We will oppose it shoulder to shoulder. We will always oppose it in the future.

“Humanity must never become a victim of conflict,” he added.

They highlighted progress towards a free trade agreement and expanding investment and innovation links — from semiconductors and artificial intelligence to digital payments integration, including bringing India’s UPI system into the Israeli market.

Israeli officials had framed the visit as an expression of a robust and expanding partnership, with Netanyahu describing Modi as “more than a friend, a brother”.

“The future belongs to those who innovate, and Israel and India are bent on innovation,” Netanyahu said, standing next to Modi.

Published in Dawn, February 27th, 2026