The Indian prime minister tagged Netanyahu on Twitter and wished Jews "all over the world" a Shana Tova (Happy New Year).
Warm Rosh Hashanah greetings to my friend @netanyahu, the people of Israel and to the Jewish community all over the world. May the new year bring good health, peace and prosperity in everyone’s life. Shana Tova!
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 18, 2020
Modi joins many prime ministers and officials from various countries who have sent Rosh Hashanah greetings to the Jews across the globe in the last couple of days, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and officials from the UAE and Bahrain.
The relationship between the Indian and Israeli prime ministers is considered especially close, with both repeatedly referring to one another as “my dear friend.”
Israel and India have been working together in recent months in order to combat the coronavirus pandemic, with researches from both countries working together on developing rapid-result tests and Israel sending a research delegation to India to collect data on coronavirus patients. Last month, Israel donated advanced medical equipment to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi.
In the early days of the pandemic, India assisted in locating and returning thousands of Israelis who were scattered across the country to Israel, and supplied Israel with medicine and protective equipment.