Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conferred the “Speaker of the Knesset Medal” by Israel’s Parliament on Wednesday, becoming the first Indian prime minister to receive the legislature’s highest honour.
The medal was awarded in recognition of his exceptional contribution to strengthening strategic ties between India and Israel. He is the first recipient of the medal, the highest honour conferred by the Knesset.
Among Few Leaders Honoured By Israel And Palestine
Modi is among the few global leaders to have received top civilian honours from both Israel and Palestine. In 2018, he was conferred the Grand Collar of the State of Palestine, the highest Palestinian award granted to foreign dignitaries.
Netanyahu’s Warm Welcome
Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed Modi ahead of his address to the Knesset, describing him as “a great friend of Israel, a great champion of the Indian-Israeli alliance, a great leader on the world stage.”
“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,” he said.
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.”
Expanding Strategic Partnership
The honour highlights the growing partnership between India and Israel across defence, cybersecurity, agriculture, water management and innovation. Bilateral ties have expanded significantly over the past decade through high-level political exchanges, rising trade and collaboration in emerging technologies.
Modi’s engagement with Israeli leaders and lawmakers during the visit underscored a shared emphasis on security cooperation, investment and people-to-people ties. Observers view the award as symbolic of the steady elevation of India–Israel relations into a broad-based strategic partnership marked by converging regional and global interests.
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