india

Updated: Aug 04, 2019 18:21 IST

On International Day on Sunday, Israel greeted India in a unique manner. Israel Embassy in India tweeted: “Happy #FriendshipDay2019 India! May our ever-strengthening friendship & #growingpartnership touch greater heights.”

Along with the tweet, the Israel embassy attached a video clip that shows several photographs of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu shaking hands and greeting each other. The background song in the video is the ‘Yeh dosti hum nahi todenge’ song from the Bollywood flick Sholay.

PM Modi responded with a tweet in Hebrew saying, India and Israel have proved their friendship over time.

“Thank you and wishing a Happy Friendship Day to Israel’s wonderful citizens and my good friend (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu.” “India and Israel are time tested friends. Our bond is strong and eternal! May the friendship between our nations grow and prosper even more in the times to come!” he said.

India and Israel share an extensive economic, military and strategic relationship that has strengthened in recent years.

Recently, an election advertisement banner, featuring the image of Modi standing with Netanyahu, was spotted in Israel.

Happy #FriendshipDay2019 India!



May our ever strengthening friendship & #growingpartnership touch greater heights.

🔊🎧🎶 ये दोस्ती हम नहीं तोड़ेंगे..... 🇮🇱❤🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/BQDv8QnFVj — Israel in India (@IsraelinIndia) August 4, 2019

Netanyahu was the first world leader to congratulate Modi for scripting an “impressive victory” in the 2019 General Elections and had vowed to strengthen their “great friendship” as well as bilateral ties with India.

Modi also congratulated his “dear friend” Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu as unofficial results projected a clear win for the right-wing leader in Israel’s April 9 elections for the 21st Knesset.

This will be Netanyahu’s record fifth term as the Prime Minister of Israel, once the official results are announced.

PM Benjamin Netanyahu, who is the longest-serving Israeli prime minister, is due to visit India in September.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)