In a gesture that reflects the brotherly bond between the two leaders, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday personally saw off Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, marking the conclusion of a landmark two-day state visit.
Modi and Netanyahu shared a warm hug at the tarmac as the visiting Indian leader boarded the plane. Netanyahu’s wife, Sara Netanyahu, also accompanied them at the airport.
In a social media post on X, PM Modi said that he was deeply touched that the Israeli PM personally came to see him off at the airport.
“Thank you Israel, for the warmth and affection. Deeply touched that Prime Minister Netanyahu and Mrs. Netanyahu personally came to the airport to see me off. Confident that the India–Israel partnership will continue to reach new heights in the years to come,” Modi said.
Netanyahu and the First Lady had also welcomed PM Modi on the tarmac on Wednesday as the Indian Prime Minister landed in the country on his second visit to Israel.
‘Proud ancient civilisations to seize the future’: India, Israel elevate ties to Special Strategic Partnership
During his two-day visit, Modi held bilateral talks with Netanyahu and agreed to elevate India-Israel ties to a Special Strategic Partnership.
“Today’s discussions with PM Netanyahu were very fruitful. We’ve taken a historic decision to elevate our time-tested partnership to a Special Strategic Partnership. This decision reflects the aspirations of the people of both countries,” PM Modi said on X.
“We discussed giving new direction and greater momentum to our cooperation. This includes economic and trade linkages. We have decided to establish a Critical and Emerging Technologies Partnership. This will accelerate cooperation in many futuristic areas,” he added.
Modi also addressed the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament, and was awarded the “Speaker of the Knesset Medal”.
Modi and Netanyahu also visited Yad Vashem, the official memorial of the Holocaust in Jerusalem. They held a memorial ceremony, where Prime Minister Modi laid a wreath and placed a stone in memory of the victims.