• Source:JND

Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a standing ovation as he arrived at the Knesset in Jerusalem on Wednesday during his historic second state visit to Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara Netanyahu, were also present during the moment.

In his address to the Knesset, Israeli PM called PM Modi 'more than a friend, a brother "I would almost venture to say, more than a friend, a brother," Netanyahu said. Netanyahu hailed the India-Israel friendship as a powerful partnership between two gigantic powers.

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Recalling PM Modi's earlier visit to the Mediterranean coast, Netanyahu stated that they may not have "walked on water" but had certainly achieved "miracles" since then. He highlighted that over the years, trade between the two nations has doubled, cooperation has tripled, and mutual understanding has quadrupled.

"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," the Israeli Prime Minister said.

Modi Hug Reflects Warmth Of Ties Between India-Israel: Netanyahu

Netanyahu also recalled PM Modi greeting him with a hug after he touched down in Tel Aviv on Wednesday. “The Modi hug is a special gesture,” he said, noting that it symbolises the warmth between the peoples of Israel and India.

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"Prime Minister Modi's personal embrace is something special. It's called the Modi hug. It's well known around the world. And when you hug someone, closely, truly, you know it's not an act. It's a real thing. It's called the Modi hug. So I want to return the hug here to every single one of the Knesset members and it's not only an indication of the personal relations, of the personal friendship between us, but it really reflects the warmth of the tie between our two peoples," Netanyahu added.

Netanyahu Calls India Gigantic Power

The Israeli Prime Minister called India a 'gigantic power' home to almost one and a half billion people, while Israel, though smaller in size, is also formidable in its own right. He underscored that the alliance between the two countries serves as "an enormous multiplier" of their strengths. Netanyahu also highlighted that, in an era where anti-Semitism is on the rise, India stands out as an exception.

"A civilisation where Jews were never persecuted by the state, only welcomed. We don't forget that, too. Thank you, India," Netanyahu added, acknowledging the historical warmth shown by India towards the Jewish community.


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