PM Modi first recipient of Israel's Medal of Knesset, a special honour

PM Narendra Modi has become the first recipient of the Medal of the Knesset, Israel's highest parliamentary honour. MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal confirmed the news, adding that PM Modi dedicated the medal to India-Israel friendship.

The Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was bestowed with the Medal of the Knesset, becoming the first recipient of the honour. Jaiswal said that PM Modi dedicated the medal to the "enduring friendship and shared democratic traditions between the two countries."

In a post on X, Jaiswal wrote, "Partnership going from strength to strength ! In a special gesture, PM @narendramodi was bestowed with the Medal of Knesset by the Speaker @AmirOhana. PM @narendramodi is the first recipient of this honour." Partnership going from strength to strength ! In a special gesture, PM @narendramodi was bestowed with the Medal of Knesset by the Speaker @AmirOhana. PM @narendramodi is the first recipient of this honour. PM dedicated the medal to the enduring friendship and shared… pic.twitter.com/seXYEKRtJx — Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) February 25, 2026

"PM dedicated the medal to the enduring friendship and shared democratic traditions between the two countries," the post read.

PM Modi is on a two-day official visit to Israel. The Israeli Parliament on Wednesday conferred the "Speaker of the Knesset Medal" on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This is the highest honour of the Knesset.

Community Praises India-Israel Tech Collaboration

Earlier, Ori Kadvil, a member of the Jewish Indian community in Israel, praised India's scientific and technological potential, saying he and his colleagues were amazed by the scale of hackathons in India. Speaking to ANI, Kadvil said, "I am from the Jewish Indian community, from the Kochi community specifically... I told a friend of mine in India that we want to do a hackathon with 200 participants. He told me that in India, we have hackathons of 200 teams. I dropped my jaw, and so did my Israeli colleagues. Everybody is amazed by the power and the potential that India has in science and technology. We wish to bring the powers of both of our countries together so we can create marvellous things for both of our people and the entire world."

'An interesting and joyous event'

He described meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi as "an interesting and joyous event," saying he and his colleagues felt honoured by the Prime Minister's visit. "We shook hands. It was an interesting and joyous event. We are very honoured by his visit and also by the Ministers in the last several months," Kadvil said.

Another Israeli resident, Yarin Didi, praised the shared potential of India and Israel in science and technology. "I am really proud to be here today... Israel is known to have great talent in terms of AI. But I think India has... The Indian market is thousands of times compared to anything I have personally seen before. Both have the talent and the huge economic potential to get innovation to a larger scale," Didi told ANI. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)