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
- 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. - 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.
- I would almost venture to say, more than a friend, a brother. 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.
- 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. Now, I said, Narendra, my dear friend, these are not just words. I would almost venture to say, more than a friend, a brother… 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.
- “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.
- Two Countries at the Peak of Their Strength. Israel is stronger than ever, and India is stronger than ever.
- In a world where anti-Semitism is rising, India stands out. A civilization where Jews were never persecuted by the state, only welcomed. We don’t forget that, too. Thank you, India.
