Netanyahu on PM: Not a dry eye left in Israel Modi’s stirring speech in the Knesset

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Thursday that “not a dry eye was left in Israel” after Prime Minister Narendra Modi brought the country’s parliament to an emotional standstill. Modi’s remarks

Calling Modi’s two-day visit “short but extraordinarily productive and extraordinarily moving”, Netanyahu said, “This is an amazing visit, an amazing conclusion to an amazing visit. I think there wasn’t a dry eye left in Israel after your moving statement yesterday in the Knesset. Since then, we have had the opportunity to not only look deep into our hearts but also into our remarkable minds that we have in our two countries.”

The statements highlighted the increasing strategic depth of bilateral ties as India and Israel exchanged many memoranda of understanding in front of the two leaders. The visit, which was PM Modi’s second to Israel in nine years, strengthened a connection that had been elevated to a strategic level during his visit in July 2017. Speaking to the Knesset, Prime Minister Modi urged unity with Israel and denounced the October 7, 2023, “barbaric terrorist attack” carried out by Hamas. “We understand how you’re hurting. We sympathize with your loss,” he remarked.

The PM declared India’s support for a Gaza peace initiative, saying it “holds promise for a just and durable peace for the region”. Stressing the global nature of the threat, he said countering terrorism required sustained and coordinated international action because “terror anywhere threatens peace everywhere”.

PM Modi and Netanyahu had previously toured Israel’s World Holocaust Remembrance Center, Yad Vashem. Netanyahu showed Modi the names of his wife Sara’s family who died in the Holocaust as the two leaders were touring the Hall of Names.

During a memorial ceremony, Modi laid a wreath and placed a stone in tribute to the victims. “Honouring the memory of victims of the Holocaust and renewing our shared commitment to uphold peace and human dignity,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X.

Modi also visited the Book of Names Hall, which preserves the memory of millions who died during the Holocaust. Jaiswal said the memorial stood as “a solemn reminder of the brutality of the past and our collective resolve to stand against injustice and create a better world”.