The illumination of the Knesset comes less than 24 hours before Modi arrives in Israel for a two-day visit that is being described as historic by officials in both capitals.

Modi is expected to land in Jerusalem on Wednesday, February 25, for talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a speech to the Knesset and meetings with senior leaders including President Isaac Herzog. It will be the Indian prime minister’s second official visit to Israel; his first in 2017 marked a major milestone in bilateral relations.

The agenda goes far beyond ceremony. Both sides are set to discuss expanding strategic partnerships in defence, technology, security and trade, including updates to a security cooperation agreement and possible new collaboration in artificial intelligence, cyber security and advanced technologies. Officials also see the visit as an opportunity to strengthen cooperation in agriculture, water management and broader economic ties.

Netanyahu has publicly praised India’s rising influence on the world stage and framed the visit as part of a vision for an international “axis of nations” aligned on shared security and economic goals. Modi, for his part, described the relationship with Israel as built on “trust, innovation and a shared commitment to peace and progress.”

Tonight’s lighting of the Knesset in India’s flag colours is being seen by diplomats in Jerusalem as both a symbolic welcome and a signal of the deepening partnership between two of the world’s largest democracies as they seek to project coordination on global issues in the coming years.

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Dozens of Israeli settlers carried out coordinated arson attacks on Tuesday, targeting a Palestinian warehouse, farmland, and a Bedouin village near Beit Lid in the northern West Bank. Footage from the area showed masked men setting fire to vehicles and tents, while residents attempted to put out the flames.

Palestinian officials condemned the incidents, describing them as part of a campaign to create “a hostile environment through intimidation and terror.” Israeli forces said they intervened to disperse the clashes and arrested four suspects after settlers also attacked soldiers at the scene.

Israel’s President Isaac Herzog called the violence “shocking and serious,” warning that attacks on both civilians and soldiers “cross a red line.” Senior military officials also denounced the assaults, describing them as “anarchist” acts that threaten regional stability.

According to the UN, settler violence in the West Bank has reached record levels, with more than 260 attacks in October alone — the highest monthly total in nearly 20 years. Over 1,500 incidents have been recorded since the start of 2025, resulting in injuries, property destruction, and widespread damage to olive trees and farmland.

Human rights groups have long accused Israeli forces of failing to prevent or punish such attacks. The UN’s humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher, stated that “impunity cannot prevail” and called for accountability for those responsible.

The violence comes amid a broader surge in settlement expansion. The Israeli watchdog Peace Now reports that more than 5,600 new housing units have been approved in West Bank settlements this year — an all-time high. Pro-settler officials, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, have pushed policies aimed at solidifying Israeli control over the occupied territories, a move critics warn could “bury” any future hope for a Palestinian state.

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