Explained: This article explains the political background, key decisions, and possible outcomes related to Explained : Ramesh on Modi’s Israel visit and Its Impact and why it matters right now.
Ramesh’s remarks also come amid renewed attention to documents released through US court proceedings in the Jeffrey Epstein case. Among them is a 2017 email in which Epstein claimed that Modi had “danced and sang in Israel” during his previous visit — a characterisation the Indian government has dismissed as “trashy ruminations” by a convicted criminal, and stressed that the mention does not imply any interaction or wrongdoing.
The February visit takes place against the backdrop of expanding India-Israel strategic cooperation. Over the past year, there have been multiple high-level exchanges between the two sides. Israeli ministers for tourism, economy, agriculture and finance visited India, while commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal travelled to Israel in November 2025 to advance negotiations toward a free trade agreement. The two countries signed a bilateral investment treaty and agreed on terms to move forward on the FTA framework.
Defence ties have also strengthened. In November, India and Israel signed an agreement to enhance defence, industrial and technological collaboration, including co-development and co-production of advanced systems. The annual meeting of the joint working group on defence identified areas ranging from research and development to artificial intelligence and cyber security.
Government officials have consistently defended the partnership as strategically important, citing Israel’s role as a key defence supplier and technology partner. They argue that engagement reflects pragmatic national interest and long-standing bilateral cooperation across sectors including agriculture, water management, innovation and security.
The Congress, however, has increasingly framed the debate around diplomatic signalling and political optics. Ramesh’s intervention stops short of opposing engagement with Israel itself; rather, it questions why announcements of major foreign policy moves appear to be emerging first from Washington or Jerusalem instead of New Delhi.
With PTI inputs