From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, June 11, 2025
Ohana, Lapid welcome ‘great friend of Israel’ Argentinian President Milei to Knesset
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleSam 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"
Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana praises Argentinian President Javier Milei during a special plenum session in honor of the visiting leader, declaring that he is “the best friend ever to the State of Israel and the Jewish people” in his country’s history.
Calling Milei’s upcoming speech “a historic moment in the history of Israel-Argentina relations,” Ohana says that “time and again, you have chosen to prefer truth over comfort, faith over fashion, and a moral compass over belonging to an automatic majority.”
These words were “also backed up by actions” and “you stood up to Iran, the evil force that is currently financing the war being waged against Israel on seven fronts,” he adds.
“By standing by the State of Israel, you have woven yourself and the Argentine people into the eternal story of the Jewish people. On behalf of the Knesset, which represents all citizens of Israel, I thank you,” he adds.
Addressing Milei in Spanish from the Knesset rostrum, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid welcomes the South American leader’s support for Israel.
“Sir, since the prime minister does not know Spanish, I can tell you in secret that we disagree on almost everything. But there are two things on which we agree,” Lapid says.
“The first is that Jews have the right to defend themselves. Israel will not surrender or bend. Neither in the face of terrorism nor in the face of lies. The second is that your friendship and support for Israel move us all.”
Turning to Milei’s economic reforms in Argentina, Lapid launches a coded attack on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Speaking in Hebrew, Lapid says that Milei is “not only a great friend of Israel, he is also a true economic right-winger” and because of that, the “first thing” he did upon taking office was to close all of his government’s “unnecessary ministries.”
“Today, they have eight government ministries. A country of 46 million people. Enough for them. Cut jobs, fired cronies, reduced benefits, fought a culture of idleness and living at the expense of others,” Lapid says, adding: “Let’s learn from the man who came to visit us today.”
The Times of Israel Community.