
During his visit to Israel, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met actors from the Israeli series Fauda and shared a selfie online. He joked that the meeting needed only a selfie, not undercover work.
The post quickly went viral, drawing praise from fans and playful comments online. Many users described the moment as a mix of diplomacy and popular culture.
Fauda is an Israeli television series, loosely based on the experiences of the Israel Defence Forces, and streams on Netflix. It stars Lior Raz, Hisham Sulliman and Itzik Cohen. Created from the real-life experiences of Raz and Avi Issacharoff, the award-winning show follows elite Israeli undercover agents pursuing militants. The series, whose title means 'chaos' in Arabic, explores the complex human and political realities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It has strong viewership in India and inspired the Hindi remake Tanaav in 2022.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with the Fauda cast reflects growing collaboration between India and Israel in entertainment. As part of efforts to position India as a global film production hub, an Indian film festival was held in Israel, opening with Laapataa Ladies by Kiran Rao. Other screened films included Dangal, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Mimi, English Vinglish and 777 Charlie, highlighting India’s cultural diversity and creative range.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier on Thursday said India and Israel will soon finalise a mutually beneficial Free Trade Agreement (FTA). He made the announcement during a joint statement with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as part of his two-day state visit.
Modi described economic cooperation as the engine of growth, innovation and shared prosperity. He noted that both countries signed a bilateral investment agreement last year to promote mutual investment. The first round of FTA negotiations began in New Delhi earlier this week. India’s Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal met an Israeli delegation for the talks. The Terms of Reference for launching negotiations were signed in November 2025.
Modi said technology will be central to future cooperation. Both countries agreed to establish a “Critical and Emerging Technology Partnership”. The initiative will strengthen collaboration in areas such as artificial intelligence, quantum technologies and critical minerals. The aim is to accelerate innovation and create long-term strategic value.
The Prime Minister welcomed Israel’s decision to adopt India’s Unified Payments Interface for digital transactions. He called it a major step in expanding digital cooperation. Both countries also agreed to deepen collaboration in digital health by sharing expertise and best practices to improve public services.
Modi highlighted decades of strong defence cooperation between India and Israel. He said agreements signed last year will expand joint development, joint production and technology transfer. Both leaders also agreed to enhance cooperation in civil nuclear energy and space, reflecting the broadening scope of the strategic partnership.
The leaders discussed giving a new direction and faster pace to bilateral ties across economic, technological and security sectors. The visit aims to deepen long-term cooperation and strengthen India-Israel relations across multiple fields.
(With inputs from ANI)
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