'A gigantic power': India-Israel alliance an 'enormous multiplier' of powers, says Netanyahu

Netanyahu said he shares a 'wondrous friendship' with Modi and said the latter’s hug is something special

• Netanyahu lauds strong India-Israel ties and Modi's friendship
• Modi receives warm welcome in Israel with cultural performances
• Netanyahu shares video of Modi's arrival, calls him a dear friend

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed ties with India and his personal relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the partnership between the two nations is an “enormous multiplier” of individual powers.

"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," Netanyahu said at Knesset (Israel’s Parliament) in the presence of PM Modi.

Netanyahu said he shares a “wondrous friendship” with Modi and said the latter’s hug is something special, which is known around the world.

“…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."

PM Modi arrived in Israel today on a State Visit. In a special gesture, on arrival at the airport in Tel Aviv, he was received by the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu and his spouse, Sara Netanyahu and accorded a ceremonial welcome.

Following the arrival ceremony, the two Prime Ministers held a brief one-on-one meeting. At the hotel, the Prime Minister was accorded a warm and enthusiastic welcome by the members of the Indian community and the representatives of the Jewish Indian diaspora. The reception was marked by vibrant cultural performances by Indian and Israeli artistes, symbolising the enduring friendship between the two nations.

Taking to the social media platform X, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu shared a video of PM Modi's arrival, stating, "Welcome to Israel, my dear friend Narendra Modi".