NEW DELHI (Nov 4): Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, during his first official visit to India, hailed New Delhi as a “global superpower” and said Israel aims to build a long-term strategic partnership with India.
Sa’ar made the remarks after his meeting with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on Tuesday.
“I believe that India is the future. India is the world’s largest democracy and the fastest-growing economy. India is a global superpower; Israel is a regional powerhouse. Our goal is to build a long-term strategic partnership,” Sa’ar said.
He thanked Jaishankar for the warm hospitality and recalled India’s early show of solidarity with Israel. “We remember that he was the first world leader to call Prime Minister Netanyahu after Hamas’ October 7 massacre, and we won’t forget it,” Sa’ar said.
Condemning the recent terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, Sa’ar highlighted the shared threat of terrorism faced by both countries. “Radical terror is a mutual threat to Israel and India,” he said, referring to militant groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis as “terror states” destabilizing the Middle East.
“The eradication of Hamas’ terror state is at the heart of President Trump’s peace plan. Hamas must be disarmed. Gaza must be demilitarized. We will not compromise on it,” he asserted.
Regional connectivity and cooperation
Sa’ar also voiced support for regional projects like the I2U2 and the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEEC), calling them essential to enhancing trade and connectivity between South Asia, West Asia, and Europe.
He later met National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, where both sides discussed strengthening counterterrorism cooperation. “We’re building a long-term strategic partnership between Israel and India,” Sa’ar said after the meeting.
Jaishankar: Partnership built on trust
EAM S. Jaishankar described India-Israel relations as built on “a high degree of trust and reliability.” He said the two nations reaffirmed their zero tolerance toward terrorism in all its forms and discussed developments in Gaza, regional stability, and multilateral cooperation.
“An excellent meeting with FM Gideon Sa’ar of Israel today in New Delhi,” Jaishankar posted on X. “We held productive discussions on strengthening our Strategic Partnership and reaffirmed our zero tolerance towards terrorism.”
The two ministers also witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on training and diplomatic cooperation between India’s Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service (SSIFS) and Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
During his visit, Sa’ar also paid floral tributes at Teen Murti Haifa Chowk, commemorating the Indian soldiers who liberated Haifa during World War I.
India and Israel signed a bilateral investment agreement in September 2025 to boost mutual investments, which currently total around USD 800 million. The accord is expected to enhance collaboration across technology, agriculture, water management, and defence sectors.