Israel, India Seal Bilateral Investment Agreement

Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman signed a Bilateral Investment Agreement (BIA) in New Delhi, marking Israel as the first OECD state to ink such a deal under India’s new investment treaty model. The pact, replacing the 1996 agreement scrapped in 2017, aims to boost reciprocal investments, protect investors, and expand trade. Both sides stressed deep economic ties and pledged cooperation in innovation, infrastructure, digital trade, and regional development banks. Smotrich, a far-right figure known for controversial Gaza and West Bank remarks, led a high-level delegation and invited Sitharaman for a reciprocal visit to Israel.