On 'Festival Of Lights', PM Modi Sends Special Wishes To Israel: 'Chag Hanukkah Sameach'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday took to Twitter to extend special Hanukkah wishes for ‘people of Israel’. The Prime Minister compared the traditional Jewish festival with Diwali celebrations. Tagging his friend and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, PM Modi also tweeted in Hebrew. “Chag Hanukkah Sameach to the people of Israel. The festivals of Hanukkah and Diwali depict yet another cultural affinity shared by India and Israel, celebrating light and the victory of good over evil. @netanyahu,” Prime Minister Modi said on Twitter. The special bonding between PM Modi and his Israeli counterpart is well-known.

Chag Hanukkah Sameach to the people of Israel. The festivals of Hanukkah and Diwali depict yet another cultural affinity shared by India and Israel, celebrating light and the victory of good over evil. @netanyahu

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 23, 2019

In 2017, when Modi visited Israel, the first Indian prime minister to do so, he was received by Netanyahu at the airport, a gesture normally reserved for guests such as US presidents. In 2018, PM Modi rolled out red carpet for his friend ‘Bibi’ with a special roadshow in Ahmedabad. Israeli PM Netanyahu, wife Sara along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi took part in a mega roadshow from the Ahmedabad airport to Sabarmati Ashram.

But all is not well with Netanyahu, politically speaking. Netanyahu has been at the centre of political storm. On December 12, embattled Israeli Prime Minister, facing criminal charges and a new general election, will resign from all other ministerial positions he holds but remain premier, his lawyers said. The announcement to the supreme court came the same morning as parliament dissolved itself and set a date for a new election, the third within a year. The court had received a petition from the Movement for Quality of Government in Israel (MQG) demanding that Netanyahu, who is also minister of agriculture, diaspora, health and welfare, step down from all his positions in light of his indictments.

Hanukkah, also known as Chanukah, marks the re-dedication during the second century BC of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, where according to legend, Jews had risen up against their Greek-Syrian oppressors in the Maccabean Revolt.