Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President of Argentina Javier Milei met on Sunday afternoon, during Milei's visit to Israel.
Netanyahu and Milei held a one-on-one meeting, followed by a formal signing ceremony for the Isaac Accords, according to the Prime Minister's Office. The Isaac Accords will aim to strengthen ties between Israel and Latin America, the PMO said.
Statements were also made by both leaders, as well as by senior ministers, including Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Transportation Minister Miri Regev, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, and the Chairman of El Al, Amikam Ben Zvi.
A central announcement during the visit was the launch of a new direct El Al route between Israel and Argentina, a move officials had previously said is intended to strengthen tourism, business links, and people-to-people ties between the two countries.
"Direct flights between Israel and Argentina will make the friendship between our countries even closer," Netanyahu said during the announcement. "Together with my friend, President Milei, we are expanding cooperation in economy, technology, security, and now also in aviation and tourism through a direct and fast connection. We will continue to connect Israel to the world – and the world to Israel."
"The direct route to Argentina is a strategic move that strengthens Israel's connection to the world and expands our aviation map to new continents," Regev said. "In these challenging times, when maintaining open skies is a national mission, we continue to act decisively in creating transportation continuity, making new destinations accessible to Israeli citizens, and strengthening the economy, tourism, and international relations. We will continue to open more and more routes, bolster competition, and ensure accessible, safe, and advanced aviation for the Israeli public."
The flights would be flying non-stop, El Al announced during the press conference, beginning in 2026. Milei said flights should begin in December.
Sa'ar meets with Argentine Foreign Minister, announces plans for cooperation
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar also met with his Argentine counterpart, Pablo Quirno, on Sunday, and announced several of the upcoming plans for strengthening ties between Israel and Argentina.
These plans included launching a direct El Al flight between the two countries, opening a 150 USD credit line for Israeli businesses operating in Argentina, and signing a Memorandum of Understanding on counterterrorism cooperation and an agreement on AI partnership.
The counterterrorism agreement, a GPO press release revealed, contains nine articles, whose purpose is to "contribute to the prevention and suppression of terrorist activities, to the fight against extremism and the ideology that fuels it, recognizing the countries' shared concern about the rise in acts of terrorism and extremism and the importance of addressing them."
The cooperation will include training and development for the two countries' security forces and law enforcement agencies, as well as information sharing and exchange, courses, meetings, and other training programs. The agreement also includes the establishment of a joint working group with the powers to promote and implement these areas.
A second Memorandum of Understanding was also signed by the two foreign ministers on the topic of artificial intelligence. The agreement highlights future cooperation between Israel's National Artificial Intelligence Headquarters and Argentina's Science, Technology, and Innovation Ministry.
"The partnership will address supercomputing infrastructure, application of artificial intelligence in critical civilian sectors, human capital, and joint research," the GPO press release stated.
Yesh Atid MK Beliak denounces Milei singing on stage at Independence Day rehearsal
Milei attended the dress rehearsal of the Independence Day torchlighting ceremony.
Video footage from the rehearsal appeared to show Milei singing along with some of the singers on stage.
Yesh Atid MK Vladimir Beliak denounced this on X, asking, "What does this have to do with Israel's independence celebrations?"
"Insolent and disconnected [from reality]," he wrote.
Shir Perets and Maariv contributed to this report.