From the moment Argentinian President Javier Milei set foot on Israeli soil, his visit was emblematic of the strong bonds between Argentina and Israel. Greeted with a resounding “¡Viva la libertad, carajo!” (Long live liberty, damn it!) by Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz, Milei’s presence in Israel was not just a state visit but a poignant affirmation of Argentina’s staunch support for the Jewish state and a deeply meaningful personal journey reflecting his deep philosemitism. Milei has said that he is considering converting to Judaism in the future.
Milei’s trip was woven with emotional visits to significant landmarks in Israel, such as the Western Wall and Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial. His declaration to move Argentina’s embassy to Jerusalem stands as a bold statement of recognition and solidarity, positioning Argentina alongside a select group of countries acknowledging Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. He also visited southern kibbutzim where slaughters by Hamas murderers and their supporters took place, several heavily populated with Argentine immigrants.
The interactions between Milei and Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, were not just formalities but discussions of shared values and mutual concerns, particularly regarding the threats posed by Iran and the ideological alignment on economic policies. Netanyahu’s acknowledgment of Milei’s support—“You’re a great friend of the Jewish state. We are delighted with your decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and move your diplomatic post there”—underscores the visit’s strategic and symbolic importance.
Milei’s visit also touched on the somber realities of the conflict with Hamas, particularly during his visit to Kibbutz Nir Oz, highlighting the personal connection and the broader implications of the ongoing conflict for Argentinian citizens and the global community. His stance against Hamas and his commitment to moving the embassy to Jerusalem have not only solidified his position as a pro-Israel leader in Latin America but also set a precedent for Argentina’s foreign policy direction.
Milei was raised Catholic, but has long studied Torah and is considering converting to Judaism, though he said that observing Shabbat as president could pose a challenge. He frequently entered campaign events accompanied by a shofar blowing, and he referred to the Maccabees during his inaugural speech, which took place on Hanukkah, with Israel’s then-Foreign Minister Eli Cohen and relatives of Israeli hostages kidnapped to Gaza present. He visited the Ohel in Queens, N.Y., where the Lubavitcher Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson is buried, a week after winning the election, promising that his first presidential visit would be to Israel. That promise he kept.
Praying beside his Rabbi, Axel Wahnish, at the Kotel, Milei shedding tears. The meeting holds diplomatic significance, as many more cowardly leaders are unwilling to visit the Western Wall because it falls outside of Israel’s pre-1967 boundaries, or they take care to characterize it as a private visit to avoid making a political statement. The Argentine President did not cop out. He went, and wept.
Milei has announced that his government will declare Hamas to be outlawed terrorist group. With some kibbutzim near the Gaza border having large Argentinian populations, going back decades to a wave of immigration to Israel in light of the military junta of the 1970s and economic crisis of the late 1990s, over 20 of the hostages Hamas took on Oct. 7 hold Argentinian passports. Eleven of them remain in Gaza, including, most famously, Shiri and Yarden Bibas and their redheaded sons Ariel, 4, and Kfir, 1. The Bibas mother and children are believed no longer to be alive.
Milei met several groups of Argentinian citizens released from Hamas captivity and their’ relatives. The Argentinian president cried again during his visit on Thursday with President Isaac Herzog to Kibbutz Nir Oz, where one-quarter of the residents were either murdered or taken hostage by Hamas. Milei saw the Bibas home, listening to released hostage Ofelia Roitman tell her story.
The visit “touched me deep in my soul,” Milei said, echoing comments he made earlier in the trip when he visited Yad Vashem: “We see that it was the indifference of the free world that made the Nazi Holocaust possible…we see clear examples of terrorism and antisemitism and what I would describe as 21st-century Nazism. And when we hear about the methods that were used this time, it reminds us of the atrocities of the Holocaust.”
“We again, strongly and unambiguously, condemn these abhorrent actions and reaffirm our solidarity and support for Israel, again for the legitimate right to self-defense,” he added. “Where is the voice of the free world demanding the release of the kidnapped?” he asked. “We shouldn’t remain silent in the face of modern Nazism today disguised as the terror group Hamas. Choosing life is fighting terrorism.”
Milei, speaking at Kibbutz Nir Oz, backed Israel’s right to defend itself. “We condemn once again, strongly and unequivocally, these heinous acts and re-emphasize our solidarity and support for Israel,” said the Argentine president, with President Yitzchak Herzog standing by his side. “Once again we will emphasize Israel’s legitimate right to self-defense. We will continue to act in order to demand further down the road the release of all the kidnapped, regardless of their nationality. Of course, there are also Argentine citizens among the hostages, and this is a crime against humanity. This must be corrected,” he stressed. “I want to end by thanking you for the welcome, and assuring you that in Argentina, you have a president who is your true friend. Thank you.”
Milei said he would work to bring about the liberation of all hostages, regardless of nationality: “There are Argentine nationals among the hostages as well, but this is a crime against humanity, and this must be redressed.” Herzog, like other Israeli officials meeting with Milei, noted that the name “Javier” sounds similar to chaver, the Hebrew word for “friend,” and thanked his Argentine counterpart for his friendship. “Your visit here today is a unique show of solidarity, of friendship, of a deep understanding of the feelings and the agony that Israel is going through, and also sharing with us the vision of hope,” Herzog said.
Not all were pleased. Hamas strongly condemned Milei’s statement, saying it viewed the move as “an infringement of the rights of our Palestinian people to their land, and a violation of the rules of international law, considering Jerusalem as occupied Palestinian land.” Leftists, of course, whined. The Jerusalem Peace Institute claimed: “Argentine President Javier Milei calls for the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem by demolishing Al Aqsa in order to bring the Messiah.”
Longtime anti-Israel crank Daniel Seidemann (@DanielSeidemann) embedded the video of Milei’s speech with a malicious and misleading Hebrew-language headline accusing Milei of calling for the rebuilding of the Temple and the destruction of Al-Aqsa. According to Seidemann, the Argentine president’s words could be perceived as a call for a Jewish holy war. “It’s tempting to laugh this off,” he sanctimoniously wrote on X. “It’s not funny. We’re in a war … in part driven by those who weaponize faith, crackpots like this [included]. He covered his phony ass umption by saying that Milei’s support for rebuilding the Temple and destroying Al-Aqsa are “unconfirmed.”
In a video of his visit Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Centre in Jerusalem, Milie referred to Talmudic prophecy concerning the rebuilding of the Temple, the ancient focal point of the Jewish religion, on the Temple Mount. Milei referred to a story recounted on pages 24A-B of the tractate Makkos by saying (in English translation from the event):
“This story took place after the destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans. Rabbi Akiva and his colleagues were observing the Temple Mount in ruins, and they saw a fox leave the Holiest of Holies in the Temple. There could have been no more disheartening scene than that. In the face of this terrible scene, the rabbis cried in mourning, but Rabbi Akiva started to laugh. His colleagues asked how he could possibly laugh in the face of such a tragedy, to which Rabbi Akiva answered: ‘There’s a prophecy about the destruction that says that a fox will break into the Holiest of Holies. There is another prophecy that says that the same place will be rebuilt. Now that I’ve seen with my own eyes the prophecy come true, I laugh in joy and full of hope, as the second prophecy will surely come true.’”
Like Rabbi Akiva, amidst the ongoing tragedy, President Milei got the last laugh. Days later, the wee hours of August 12, in Operation Golden Hand, Israeli forces daringly raided a home in Khan Yunis, rescuing alive two of the hostages, senior citizens. Fernando Marman, 61, and Luis Herr were from kibbutz Nir Oz, the very place Milei visited. Both hail from Argentina.
If Milei’s prophecy from Jerusalem came true, in a way, who is to say that more miracles are not waiting around the corner?
Todah rabah, Rav Javier!
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