Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on Wednesday conferred with the ‘Speaker of the Knesset Medal’ in recognition of his exceptional contribution to strengthening strategic relations between India and Israel.
The Indian prime minister is the first leader to receive this medal, which is the highest honour of the Knesset - the Israeli Parliament.
Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana conferred the award on the prime minister after his address at the Israeli Parliament.
The medal was conferred in recognition of the prime minister's exceptional contribution – through his personal leadership – to strengthen strategic relations between India and Israel.
PM Modi said the award was "not a tribute to an individual, but to the enduring friendship between India and Israel".
“I am deeply honoured to receive the Medal of the Knesset. I accept it with humility and gratitude. This honour is not a tribute to an individual, but to the enduring friendship between India and Israel. It reflects the shared values that guide our two nations,” Modi wrote on social media.
PM Modi is a rare world leader who has received top awards from both Israel and Palestine.
In 2018, PM Modi was conferred the Grand Collar of the State of Palestine, which is the highest Palestinian honour for foreign leaders.
This is the latest addition to PM Modi's distinguished list of over 28 highest civilian awards from foreign nations, including recent honours such as Order of Oman and Ethiopia's Great Honour Nishan of Ethiopia and Kuwait's Order of Mubarak Al-Kabeer.
It is PM Modi's second visit to Israel in nine years. The India-Israel relationship was elevated to the level of strategic partnership during his first visit to that country in July 2017.