"I Owe India": Netanyahu, His Wife And Their 'First Date' At Indian Restaurant

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he owes India "a great personal debt" because he met his wife Sara in an Indian restaurant in Israel's Tel Aviv. He said the "food was unbelievable".

Speaking at a joint press statement with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said, "I owe India a great personal debt. When I met Sara (his wife) for the first time, I think our first or second date was in an Indian restaurant in Tel Aviv."

"Sara was introduced to it for the first time, so it was a great first date - not only with the food, the date was excellent too..." he added.

He said that the restaurant was run by Reena Pushkarna, who is a celebrated Indian-origin chef, restaurateur, and business entrepreneur widely known as Israel's "Curry Queen". She is credited with introducing authentic Indian cuisine to Israel and serves as a vital cultural ambassador between the two nations.

She also led the culinary preparations for PM Modi's two-day state visit to Israel.

Netanyahu had recalled his date at the Indian restaurant when he hosted Prime Minister Narendra Modi in July 2017 and had remarked that the "food was great".

PM Modi began his two-day official visit to Israel by meeting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv on Wednesday. In a warm gesture, Israeli PM Netanyahu and his wife personally welcomed him at the airport and honoured him with a special guard of honour.

India and Israel vowed to expand their already close defence partnership by working towards joint development and joint production of military hardware under the framework of the transfer of technologies.

In his media statement, PM Modi said India's security interest is linked to peace and stability in the Middle East, adding that New Delhi fully supports the Gaza Peace Initiative.