The second round of negotiations for the proposed free trade agreement (FTA) between India and Israel covering multiple issues such as trade in goods and services, rules of origin, technical barriers, intellectual property rights, customs procedures and trade facilitations has been concluded this week, an official statement said on Friday (July 24, 2026). The negotiations were held here during July 20-23.

“The discussions were constructive and forward-looking, with both sides undertaking detailed technical deliberations aimed at narrowing gaps and identifying areas of convergence,” the Commerce Ministry said. It added that India and Israel share complementarities across several sectors and the proposed FTA presents an opportunity to further enhance bilateral trade and deepen economic integration.

“During this round, technical experts from both sides held dedicated technical sessions covering areas including trade in goods, trade in services, rules of origin, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, technical barriers to trade, intellectual property rights, customs procedure and trade facilitation, economic cooperation and other chapters under the proposed agreement,” it said.

The statement added that both sides remain committed to working towards the early conclusion of a balanced, comprehensive and mutually beneficial FTA which will further expand trade and economic ties between the two countries. Total merchandise trade between the two countries stood at $3.93 billion in 2025-26.

External Affairs Minister of India, S. Jaishankar, will arrive in Israel on Tuesday (December 16, 2025) to meet the country’s top leadership and discuss bilateral and regional issues, according to sources in Jerusalem.

Mr. Jaishankar will meet President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and hold bilateral consultations with his counterpart Gideon Sa’ar during his short visit, they said.

“The discussions will revolve around bilateral and regional issues to continue to deepen the strategic partnership between the two countries,” a source told PTI.

His visit comes days after Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke to his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi and the two leaders “agreed to meet very soon”.

Minister of Tourism Haim Katz, Minister of Economy and Industry Nir Barkat, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Avi Dichter, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich had visited India earlier this year as the strategic partners build up momentum to sign a Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

The two countries signed a Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) during Mr. Smotrich’s visit and then a Terms of Reference (TOR) leading to FTA during the visit of Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal to Israel last month.