India and Israel have taken significant strides in deepening their strategic partnership during Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar’s recent visit to New Delhi. A key highlight of the visit was his meeting with India's National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval, where both leaders discussed enhancing cooperation to address shared regional and global challenges, with a particular focus on counterterrorism.

In his meeting with NSA Doval, Sa’ar emphasized the importance of building a "long-term strategic partnership" between the two democracies, particularly in confronting the mutual threat posed by terrorism. This collaboration reflects the growing trust and alignment in security priorities between India and Israel, two nations that have historically supported each other through testing times. The dialogue was part of a broader visit that included discussions with India’s External Affairs Minister, Dr. S. Jaishankar, highlighting the multi-dimensional nature of the bilateral relationship.

The visit also saw the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on training between India’s Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service and the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, underlining the commitment to institutional cooperation and capacity building. Besides counterterrorism, both sides explored cooperation in strategic sectors like defence, agriculture, trade, emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, semiconductors, and innovation.

Further cementing their defence ties, India and Israel inked a separate pact during the 17th Joint Working Group meeting on defence cooperation held in Tel Aviv. This MoU aims at fostering deeper engagement in defence-industrial collaboration, including co-development and co-production of cutting-edge technology. The agreement signals a unified vision to bolster scientific research, technology sharing, and operational capabilities to meet evolving security challenges together.

The visits and agreements reaffirm the high degree of trust and mutual reliability that have been the cornerstone of the India-Israel relationship. Sa’ar lauded India as a “global superpower” during his visit, acknowledging the swift and firm support India extended to Israel during critical moments like the recent Hamas terror attacks. Both countries reiterated their zero-tolerance stance towards terrorism and expressed their intent to work jointly to combat radical extremism and cross-border threats.

This enhanced strategic partnership between India and Israel is a significant development in geopolitical dynamics, reflecting shared democratic values, common security concerns, and a commitment to peace and stability in their respective regions. The cooperation extends beyond security and defence, encompassing economic, technological, and people-to-people ties that are expected to strengthen over the coming years. Gideon Sa’ar’s visit to New Delhi signals a new phase of Indo-Israeli relations marked by robust collaboration in defence, counterterrorism, and innovation, reinforcing their role as pivotal partners in an increasingly complex global security landscape.