Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu meets 26/11 survivor 'Baby Moshe' at Nariman House

MUMBAI: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday met the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack survivor Moshe Holtzberg at Nariman House here.

11-year-old Holtzberg, who lost his parents during the Mumbai terror attacks in 2008, arrived here on Tuesday. He was only two-years-old when his father Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and mother Rivka were killed in the terror attacks at the Nariman House in Mumbai. The Jewish couple had moved to Mumbai seven years before the attack and ran a cultural and outreach centre for the Chabad-Lubavitch movement at the Nariman House in south Mumbai's Colaba area.

Following the incident, 'Baby Moshe' became a face of the innocent victims of ruthless terrorism. Later, his maternal grandparents took him to Afula, a city in Israel for his safety and comfort. 

#Mumbai: Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu meets 26/11 survivor Moshe Holtzberg at Nariman House. pic.twitter.com/PRjj2NZZlF — ANI (@ANI) January 18, 2018

#Mumbai: Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu meets 26/11 survivor Moshe Holtzberg at Nariman House. pic.twitter.com/HbpIwPNIzy — ANI (@ANI) January 18, 2018

Netanyahu arrived in Mumbai earlier in the day from Ahmedabad. He was received at the airport by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and senior officials.

Early today, Netanyahu, along with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, laid wreath at the memorial of the terror attack victims, that claimed 166 lives, at the iconic Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in south Mumbai under a heavy security blanket. The Israeli prime minister also wrote a message in the visitor's book at the place.

Later, speaking at the India-Israel Business Summit in Mumbai, Netanyahu emphasised that partnership with India is doing wonders and said he has a strong bonding with his Indian counterpart. "Israel is an innovation nation, India is an innovation nation. The two innovation nations must come together to define the future," he said.

"Our job is to encourage you to innovate. The partnership between India and Israel is doing wonders. I have a strong personal friendship with PM Modi," he added. 

On the relationship between people of Israel and India, Netanyahu said, "It is on the level first of a deep personal friendship between Prime Minister Modi and myself. In addition, there is a partnership of genuine sympathy between our people. And that is not obvious. Our two civilisations are very old and we have not met each other in a real sense."

By evening, Netanyahu is reserved for a gala glamour-filled engagement with Bollywood personalities, his final engagement before returning home on Friday morning.