PM Modi Receives Israel’s Highest Parliamentary Honor

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his state visit to Israel, addressed the country's parliament, the Knesset, and was awarded the country's highest honor, the 'Speaker of the Knesset Medal'. He is the first world leader to receive this medal.

After landing at Ben Gurion Airport on Wednesday, February 25, local time, he was given a red carpet welcome and a guard of honor. He was welcomed there by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Later, the two leaders met in a closed-door meeting in Jerusalem.

The meeting discussed various issues of bilateral cooperation, including artificial intelligence, the semiconductor sector and increasing defense equipment exports. Both leaders emphasized the importance of further strengthening military and strategic ties.

In his speech to the Knesset after the meeting, Modi strongly condemned the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, and expressed his deepest condolences to the affected families, saying that India shares the grief of every family affected by that attack and will stand by Israel in this time of crisis.