‘The Modi hug is real’: Benjamin Netanyahu hails India’s unwavering support for Israel

Benjamin Netanyahu

• Netanyahu praises Modi's "wondrous friendship" with Israel
• India hailed for supporting Israel and welcoming Jewish community
• Trade, cooperation, and understanding boost bilateral ties.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday delivered an emotional address at the Knesset, hailing his “wondrous friendship” with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and praising India for standing by Israel.

Referring to the warm embrace the two leaders shared at the airport earlier in the day, Netanyahu said, “It’s been a wondrous friendship, both personally between the two of us and between our two countries and our peoples. Earlier today, my wife Sara and I greeted you at the airport. And just as you came down the steps, we embraced each other. Prime Minister Modi's personal embrace is something special. It's called the Modi hug. It's well known around the world.”

He added, “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.”

#WATCH | Jerusalem, Israel: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says, "It's been a wondrous friendship, both personally between the two of us and between our two countries and our peoples. Earlier today, my wife Sara and I greeted you at the airport. And just as you came… pic.twitter.com/dc0gj99Wvj

— ANI (@ANI) February 25, 2026

Calling Modi “more than a friend, a brother,” Netanyahu underlined the growth in bilateral ties. “We’ve doubled our trade, tripled our cooperation, quadrupled our understandings in ways that I cannot begin to describe, and in some ways probably shouldn't describe. But it's been a wondrous friendship.”

He described Modi as “a great leader on the world stage” and said, “I have to tell you, Narendra, my dear friend, I am deeply, deeply moved by your visit here today. I've never been more moved than by your visit here with us, a great friend of Israel, a great champion of the Indian-Israeli alliance.”

Netanyahu also recalled their previous meeting by the Mediterranean Sea. “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.”

Highlighting India’s historical stance towards the Jewish community, the Israeli prime minister said, “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.”

Netanyahu also stressed the strategic significance of the partnership. “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.”