India and Israel conclude second round of FTA negotiations

📌 Summary:

• India and Israel concluded the second round of negotiations for the proposed India-Israel Free Trade Agreement (FTA), held 20-23 July 2026 at Vanijya Bhawan, New Delhi
• Terms of Reference (ToR) signed in November 2025 provide the structured framework for negotiations
• Total merchandise trade between India and Israel stood at USD 3.93 billion in FY 2025-26; both sides cited strong sectoral complementarities
• Technical sessions covered trade in goods, trade in services, rules of origin, sanitary & phytosanitary (SPS) measures, technical barriers to trade (TBT), intellectual property rights, customs procedures and trade facilitation, and economic cooperation
• India's Chief Negotiator was Additional Secretary (Dept of Commerce) Ajay Bhadoo; Israel's was Yifat Alon Perel (Foreign Trade Administration)
• Both sides reaffirmed commitment to an early, balanced, comprehensive and mutually beneficial FTA to deepen trade, investment and economic ties

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS2 (International Relations) — India's bilateral trade agreements and economic diplomacy; India-Israel strategic and economic partnership and FTA architecture.

📝 Prelims Facts:

• India-Israel FTA: 2nd round held 20-23 July 2026 at Vanijya Bhawan, New Delhi; ToR signed Nov 2025
• India-Israel merchandise trade: USD 3.93 billion in FY 2025-26
• Chapters include rules of origin, SPS, TBT, IPR, customs & trade facilitation

🔑 Key Term: Rules of Origin — criteria used to determine the national source of a product, deciding tariff treatment and eligibility for FTA concessions.