Modi Becomes First Indian PM to Address Knesset, Condemns Oct 7 Attack and States Zero Terror Tolerance Policy
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday became the first Indian Prime Minister to address the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, during a two-day visit to Israel from February 25 to 26, where he condemned the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack as “barbaric,” reaffirmed India’s “zero tolerance” policy on terrorism, and called for “durable peace and regional stability” in West Asia.
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| A glimpse from the Knesset as shared on X b PM NaMo |
Modi said India “has also endured the pain of terrorism for a long time” and stressed that “countering terrorism requires sustained and coordinated global action, because terror anywhere threatens peace everywhere.”
He reiterated that “like Israel, India has consistent and uncompromising policy of zero tolerance for terrorism with no double standards,” while adding that “the road to peace is not always easy, but India joins you and the world for dialogue, peace and stability in this region.”
Referring to the Gaza Peace Initiative “endorsed by the UN Security Council,” he said India had “expressed its firm support for the initiative” and believes it “holds the promise of a just and durable peace for all the people of the region, including by addressing the Palestine issue.”
During the special plenary session in Jerusalem, Modi described the Holocaust as “one of humanity’s darkest chapters” and recalled that “the Maharaja of Nawanagar in Gujarat, also known as the Jam Saheb, offered refuge to Polish children, including Jewish children, who had nowhere else to turn.”
He also said, “Jewish communities have lived in India without fear of persecution or discrimination. They have preserved their faith and participated fully in society.” Citing shared historical sacrifice, he noted that “during the First World War, more than 4,000 Indian soldiers laid down their lives in this region.”
Modi was conferred the “Speaker of the Knesset Medal,” the highest honour awarded by the Israeli parliament, in recognition of what officials described as his “exceptional contribution – through his personal leadership – to strengthen strategic relations between India and Israel.”
He is the first Indian Prime Minister to receive the honour. Modi is also among the few world leaders to have received top civilian honours from both Israel and Palestine, having been awarded the Grand Collar of the State of Palestine in 2018.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who received Modi at Tel Aviv airport along with his wife Sara Netanyahu, described him at the Knesset as “my dear friend” and said, “I have 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.” Netanyahu added that the partnership between the two countries is “an enormous multiplier” and said, “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.” Earlier, he had said India and Israel would build an “iron alliance” in the face of extremist Islam.
Opposition leaders in Israel staged a walkout during Netanyahu’s address over a dispute with the Knesset Speaker but returned to the plenum when Modi began speaking, stating they wished to “respect the alliance between the countries.”
Opposition leader Yair Lapid later shook hands with Modi and said, “The entire State of Israel is filled with admiration for your leadership, for your friendship, for the fact that you were here for us in our time of trouble, and for the alliance, the eternal alliance between our two states.”
Modi’s visit includes delegation-level talks with Netanyahu focused on defence and security cooperation, technology and innovation, trade and investment, agriculture and water management, as well as meetings with President Isaac Herzog.
On Thursday, Modi and Netanyahu are scheduled to visit Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem, and are expected to oversee the signing of agreements in the economic, security and diplomatic spheres.
The visit builds on Modi’s first trip to Israel in 2017, which elevated bilateral ties to a strategic partnership, and follows Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s visit to India in January 2018.
It comes amid domestic political criticism from Indian opposition leaders over foreign policy and trade issues, even as the government frames the visit as deepening the India–Israel strategic partnership in defence, technology and regional diplomacy during a period of heightened tensions in West Asia.