Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's Prime Minister, said on Thursday that India is a "huge power" which has "absolutely crazy love for Israel" despite what he described were efforts to delegitimise the Jewish state elsewhere.
Speaking at a leadership programme in the Jordan Valley on Thursday, Netanyahu further cited India as a key example of Israel's expanding international partnerships, as he discussed Israel's international relationships and efforts to broaden its diplomatic partnerships.
"We are expanding our alliances and what you are talking about is expanding these alliances to a large space. And the larger space is really our unique relationship with a huge power called India," PTI news agency quoted Netanyahu as saying in a video released by the Government Press Office.
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"I will say this: we face delegitimisation in much of the world – but not in India. In India, there is an absolutely crazy love for Israel, truly crazy. I think I have more followers from India than from anywhere else," Netanyahu said, referring to international criticism of Israel.
{{/usCountry}}"I will say this: we face delegitimisation in much of the world – but not in India. In India, there is an absolutely crazy love for Israel, truly crazy. I think I have more followers from India than from anywhere else," Netanyahu said, referring to international criticism of Israel.
{{/usCountry}}India and Israel maintain strong bilateral relationship that spans across diverse domains, including defence, agriculture, water management, health, entrepreneurship, security, emerging technologies, cyber and more.
PM Narendra Modi made a state visit to Israel from February 25 to 26 this year on the invitation of Netanyahu. Modi first visited Israel in 2017 — a historic trip marking the first visit to the country by an Indian Prime Minister.
In the past, Netanyahu has often highlighted his personal bond with PM Modi and spoken about the strength of ties between India and Israel. In earlier remarks, he described India as "enormously powerful" and mentioned growing cooperation across a range of sectors.
In the February meet, the prime ministers reaffirmed their shared vision for a robust special strategic partnership rooted in mutual aspirations for peace, security and prosperity through technological innovations and entrepreneurship.
The leaders acknowledged that Indian and Israeli capabilities complement each other perfectly - Israel is a global powerhouse of technology and innovation, India serves as a hub of talent, manufacturing excellence and entrepreneurial energy, according to a joint statement released by the Ministry of External Affairs.
In the context of the Israel's war in Gaza and with Iran, India has largely maintained a position of strong condemnation of terrorism while calling for peaceful resolution to the conflicts.