Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana met on Monday with Gerardo Werthein, the foreign minister of Argentina who is of Russian Jewish origin, and extended an invitation to his country’s president, Javier Milei, to formally address the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem.
Ohana praised Milei, calling him the “most pro-Israeli president in the history of Argentina.” He said delivering a speech at the Knesset’s plenum would be “appropriate for the great friend to Israel that he is.”
He also thanked Werthein on behalf of the Knesset for the South American nation’s “firm stand by Israel from the very beginning.”
Ohana further hailed Werthein as “a Jew with pro-Israeli positions who supports Argentina’s association with free democratic countries like the United States and Israel” and for declaring Hamas a terrorist group.
The two spoke about the 16-month, multifront war against Israel; the need to return all the hostages from captivity in the Gaza Strip; the challenges and opportunities that exist in the Mideast region; and the economic growth recorded in Argentina.
“The policies and actions of the [Argentine] president should be taught in universities around the world. Milei is restoring Argentina to its greatness and making libertarianism a leading school of thought,” Ohana concluded.
On Sunday, Werthein visited the Western Wall in Jerusalem, accompanied by his country’s ambassador to Israel, Rabbi Shimon Axel Wahnish. The visit, which included prayer and a tour of the Jewish holy site, was part of Werthein’s first official trip to Israel since his appointment on Oct. 30.
He was welcomed by Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, rabbi of the Western Wall and holy sites, and Mordechai (Suli) Eliav, director of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation. They expressed gratitude for Argentina’s strong support for Israel and the Jewish people under Milei’s leadership.
Werthein also toured Yad Vashem: The World Holocaust Remembrance Center, laying a wreath in the Hall of Remembrance.
