For years, the easiest way to explain the relationship between India and Israel was through defense. Israel had technology that India needed, and India had the scale and strategic importance that made it an increasingly valuable partner for Israel. Israeli drones, radar systems, missiles, and other defense technologies became an important part of India’s security architecture. That relationship remains central, but it no longer tells the whole story. Something much broader is developing between the two countries, and its significance may ultimately have less to do with the weapons they buy from one another and more to do with the geography and technology they are beginning to connect.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Israel in February 2026 offered a glimpse of that changing relationship. India and Israel elevated their ties to a “Special Strategic Partnership for Peace, Innovation and Prosperity,” while expanding cooperation in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, semiconductors, quantum technology, agriculture, water, space and trade. The two countries also reaffirmed their interest in the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, or IMEC, and the I2U2 framework involving India, Israel, the United Arab Emirates and the United States. The message was fairly clear: the relationship is no longer just about defense. It is becoming an economic and technological partnership with wider regional ambitions.

The geography makes that particularly interesting. India sits at the eastern end of the Indian Ocean, while Israel occupies a strategically important position on the Mediterranean. Between them are the Gulf states, which are rapidly becoming major centers of investment, logistics and technology. IMEC is intended to connect India with the Middle East and Europe through maritime and rail links involving India, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Israel. For India, such a corridor could provide another route toward European markets and strengthen its position in global supply chains.........

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