Photo credit: PTI

NEW DELHI: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Israel and India will build an “iron alliance” of countries in the face of extremist Islam.Speaking in the Knesset ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s historic address, Netanyahu said, “In the face of extremist Islam that threatens all humanity and the free nations, we will build together an iron alliance — an alliance of nations that believe in moderation, in progress, in human dignity, in mutual respect. An alliance of nations that sanctify life and are ready to fight against those who sanctify death and seek to return us to the dark barbarism of the Middle Ages,” he added.

The Israeli PM described the bilateral relationship between the two nations as nothing short of miraculous. “We’ve doubled our trade, tripled our cooperation, quadrupled our understanding in ways that I cannot begin to describe,” he said.Netanyahu emphasised the personal and national bonds between the two countries. “It’s been a wondrous friendship both personally, between our two countries and our two peoples,” he said.He underlined the strength of both nations, saying, “Israel is stronger than ever, and India is stronger than ever.” He expressed gratitude to PM Modi for supporting Israel following the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack, praising his response as “so moral, so sharp… We will never forget this.”The Israeli Prime Minister described his country’s campaign against Hamas as “a defensive war, a war for the truth, the future of humanity,” adding that India understood Israel’s role as “a protective wall against barbarism.” Reflecting on the October 7 massacre, he said, “Either the jihadist axis of evil will break us, or we will break it. And we are breaking it — and will break it.”His remarks set the stage for Prime Minister Modi’s speech, signalling a deepening of bilateral ties and a commitment to shared values and strategic partnership.