Opposition MKs reenter plenum, Lapid tells Modi walkout has ‘nothing to do with you’

By Sam Sokol 25 February 2026, 5:57 pm

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Sam Sokol is a former political correspondent at The Times of Israel. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"

Reentering the Knesset after boycotting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid shakes Indian premier Narendra Modi’s hand and welcomes him to the Knesset.

Lapid tells Modi that the opposition walkout during this evening’s special session had “nothing to do with you,” drawing boos from coalition lawmakers, to which he replies: “Let’s try not make things worse.”

“The entire State of Israel is filled with admiration for your leadership, for your friendship, for the fact that you were here for us in our time of trouble, and for the alliance, the eternal alliance between our two states,” Lapid says. “So thank you very much for being here. And we are all, both sides of the aisle, looking forward to hearing your speech.”