Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Oct 22, 2026 that he had invited Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to light a torch alongside Indian pilot Smit Machchhar during Israel's Independence Day celebrations, as seen in a post on X. The invitation comes as Netanyahu is in the midst of a close re‑election race, adding a diplomatic flourish to his campaign.
The gesture follows Modi's February visit to Tel Aviv, his second in nine years, and the elevation of India‑Israel ties to a strategic partnership in July 2017. Earlier this month, President Isaac Herzog also invited Machchhar for the Presidential Award for Civilian Heroism.
Pilot Smit Machchhar, who thwarted a hijack attempt on flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Sep 30, 2026, remains in a UAE hospital after sustaining serious injuries. The incident, which involved 174 passengers, ended with an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.
Modi thanked Netanyahu in a bilingual tweet, saying that India and Israel fight terrorism together, and praised the strong, long‑standing ties between the two nations. However, he has not yet confirmed whether he will attend the torch‑lighting ceremony.
If Modi accepts the invitation, the torch‑lighting will take place at the Independence Day celebrations in Jerusalem on Oct 25, 2026, a key diplomatic moment ahead of Netanyahu’s re‑election campaign.