'Modi Hug Is Special': Netanyahu Hails Indian PM As 'Brother', Calls India 'Gigantic Power'

Last Updated:February 25, 2026, 23:31 IST

Israel's Netanyahu said India was a "gigantic power" and he was "deeply moved" by PM Modi's visit to Israel. He also complimented his personal embrace, calling it the "Modi hug".

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heaped praise on Indian PM Narendra Modi in the Knesset (Israeli Parliament), calling him a “great friend" and a “brother". Netanyahu also called India a “gigantic power" and he was “deeply moved" by Modi’s visit to Israel.

Netanyahu addressed the Knesset after PM Modi received a hero’s welcome in the Parliament, as coalition and opposition lawmakers gave him a standing ovation on his first visit to Israel in nine years. Netanyahu laid emphasis on his personal relationship with PM Modi.

“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, and a great leader on the world stage," he said.

“I would almost venture to say [you are] more than a friend, a brother," he said, adding that India and Israel had doubled their trade and tripled their cooperation in key fields. He also commended Modi for “standing next to Israel, for standing for the truth."

‘Modi Hug Is Special’

Recalling their previous visit, Netanyahu said, “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."

“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," he said.

The Israeli PM said the “Modi hug" reflected the growing relations between India and Israel, and the personal relationship between the two leaders.

Speaking on India-Israel ties, Netanyahu said, “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."

‘Iron Alliance Against Extremist Islam’

Netanyahu also emphasised that India stands out in a world where antisemitism is rising. A civilisation where Jews were never persecuted by the state, only welcomed. We don’t forget that, too. Thank you, India."

He asserted that India and Israel will build an “iron alliance" of countries “in the face of extremist Islam", calling it essential after the Hamas-led attack on October 7.

“In the face of extremist Islam that threatens all humanity and the free nations, we will build together an iron alliance — an alliance of nations that believe in moderation, in progress, in human dignity, in mutual respect. An alliance of nations that sanctify life and are ready to fight against those who sanctify death and seek to return us to the dark barbarism of the Middle Ages," he added.

News world 'Modi Hug Is Special': Netanyahu Hails Indian PM As 'Brother', Calls India 'Gigantic Power'

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