Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday hailed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as “not just my friend but my brother,” as the PM kicked off his historic two-day visit to Israel. Modi becomes the first Indian prime minister to address the Knesset. In his welcome note at the Israeli parliament, Netanyahu described the PM’s hug as “special” and highlighted the deep ties between the two nations. He called India a “gigantic power of 1.4 billion people” and Israel “gigantic too in spirit and deed,” calling the alliance “an enormous multiplier” for both countries.
Top quotes from Netanyahu’s speech
Here are the top quotes from Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech at the Knesset
- Speaking in the Knesset plenum ahead of visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “My friend Modi’s hug is a special hug. It’s called
Modi Hug around the world. I received it today when my friend landed in Israel.” He highlighted the warmth of their bilateral ties. - Reflecting on the ceremonial welcome, he added, “The heads of state, prime ministers, come to the Knesset, we greet them warmly, and it’s always an exciting moment for all of us, and for me too. But, I have to tell you, Narendra, my dear friend, I am deeply moved by your visit here today… I’ve never been more moved and by your visit here with us, a great friend of Israel, a great champion of the Indian-Israeli alliance.”
- On their personal bond, Netanyahu said, “I would almost venture to say, more than a friend, a brother.”
- Recalling their previous meeting, he said: “Now, when you were last here, we, the two of us, were on the Mediterranean coast, and I said, why don’t we take off our shoes and go into the water?… We didn’t walk on water, but we did perform miracles since then. Because what we have done is we’ve doubled our trade, tripled our cooperation, quadrupled our understanding.”
- On PM Modi’s support for Israel, he said: “You stood next to Israel, you stood by Israel, you stood for Israel, you stood for the truth. Thank you, my friend. A great leader on the world stage. Welcome to Jerusalem, my dear friend, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and your distinguished delegation.”
- Netanyahu emphasised the significance of the India-Israel partnership saying, “India is a gigantic power of almost one and a half billion people. Israel is somewhat smaller, but Israel is gigantic too. I want to say that the alliance between us is an enormous multiplier of our individual powers, an enormous multiplier. It’s a multiplier of the spirit and the multiplier of deeds and capabilities.”
- On their countries’ global positions, he said, “Two Countries at the Peak of Their Strength. Israel is stronger than ever, and India is stronger than ever.”
- Highlighting India’s historical support for Jews, he noted: “In a world where anti-Semitism is rising, India stands out. A civilisation where Jews were never persecuted by the state, only welcomed. We don’t forget that, too. Thank you, India.”
- Welcoming PM Modi, he said, “Today, it is my great privilege as Speaker of the Knesset to welcome him as the first Prime Minister of India to address the Knesset and to make history once again. Thank you, Prime Minister Modi.”
- Netanyahu called Israel’s war against Hamas “a defensive war, a war for the truth, the future of humanity.” “India supports Israel because it understands that Israel serves as a protective wall against barbarism,” he continued, saying, “The massacre of October 7 made it absolutely clear: either the jihadist axis of evil will break us, or we will break it. And we are breaking it — and will break it.”
- Talking about building ‘alliances’, Israeli PM said, ““In the face of extremist Islam that threatens all humanity and the free nations, we will build together an iron alliance — an alliance of nations that believe in moderation, in progress, in human dignity, in mutual respect. An alliance of nations that sanctify life and are ready to fight against those who sanctify death and seek to return us to the dark barbarism of the Middle Ages.”
