PM Modi Becomes First Indian Prime Minister To Receive ‘Speaker Of The Knesset Medal’ From Israel’s Parliament
Prime Minister Narendra Modi made history on Wednesday when Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana conferred him with the “Speaker of the Knesset Medal” the Israeli Parliament’s highest honour following his address to the legislature. Modi is the first Indian prime minister to receive the distinguished recognition.
The medal was awarded in acknowledgment of Modi’s exceptional contribution to advancing strategic relations between India and Israel, driven by his personal leadership. With this honour, Modi joins a select group of world leaders to have received top civilian awards from both Israel and Palestine. In 2018, he was presented with the Grand Collar of the State of Palestine, the highest Palestinian honour extended to foreign dignitaries.
Netanyahu Welcomes Modi as ‘Brother’ Ahead of Knesset Address
Before Modi’s address to the Knesset, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu extended a warm personal welcome, calling the Indian prime minister “a great friend of Israel, a great champion of the Indian-Israeli alliance, a great leader on the world stage.”
The first-ever recipient of the Medal of the Knesset:
Prime Minister of India @narendramodi 🇮🇱🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/kseKFxWMnS— Amir Ohana – אמיר אוחנה (@AmirOhana) February 25, 2026
Expressing deep emotion over the visit, Netanyahu said, “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.”
Netanyahu also recalled a memorable moment from Modi’s previous visit, drawing a parallel to the progress achieved in bilateral ties since then. “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,” he said.
This is Modi’s second visit to Israel in nine years. Bilateral relations between the two countries were elevated to a strategic partnership during his first visit in July 2017.