Netanyahu calls PM Modi 'more than a friend, a brother', hails growing India-Israel ties in Knesset address

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday called Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi “more than a friend, a brother” and praised the rapidly growing ties between India and Israel during Modi’s address to the Knesset.

#WATCH | Jerusalem, Israel: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says, "...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… pic.twitter.com/rZLEKXhrF8

— ANI (@ANI) February 25, 2026

“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, a great leader on the world stage. Welcome to Jerusalem, my dear friend, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and your distinguished delegation,” Netanyahu said.

Recalling their last meeting on the Mediterranean coast, he added, “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.”

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PM Modi Israel Visit Live Updates | ‘More than a friend, a brother’: Netanyahu hails Modi during Jerusalem address

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Netanyahu described his relationship with PM Modi as a “wondrous friendship,” highlighting both personal warmth and growing ties between Israel and India.

#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

“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. 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,” he said.

Netanyahu also highlighted the strategic significance of the partnership between the two nations, 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.”

The remarks emphasised both the personal rapport between the leaders and the expanding diplomatic, economic, and strategic cooperation between Israel and India.

With inputs from agencies