Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Argentine President Javier Milei signed a landmark diplomatic framework dubbed the “Isaac Accords” in Jerusalem on Sunday, inaugurating a broad new initiative aimed at deepening Israel’s strategic, economic, and security ties with Latin America. The signing ceremony, held during Milei’s fifth visit to the Israeli capital, marked one of the most significant diplomatic developments between the two countries in decades and drew widespread praise from senior Israeli officials and the United States ambassador.

The day opened with a conspicuously warm personal greeting between the two leaders. Netanyahu and Milei embraced on arrival, and the Prime Minister was quick with a characteristic quip: he noted the linguistic coincidence that “Javier” closely resembles the Hebrew word for friend, “chaver.” “It warms my heart that you’re here,” Netanyahu told his guest as the pair posed for photographers with a thumbs-up ahead of their one-on-one meeting. In a lighter aside, the leaders also joked about the blue-and-white ties each was wearing – both representing the national colors of their respective countries, though in distinct shades – a small sartorial detail that encapsulated the camaraderie between the two men.

Modeled on the Abraham Accords – the Trump-era normalization agreements between Israel and several Arab states – the Isaac Accords are designed to serve as a framework for expanding Israel’s relationships across Latin America. The name carries evident symbolic resonance, evoking Yitzchak Avinu and drawing a direct line from the Abraham Accords’ precedent, though the latter were forged with countries that were previously adversarial with Israel.

The Isaac Accords are designed as a multi-country expansion project rather than a bilateral agreement alone. The first phase targets Uruguay, Panama, and Costa Rica, with joint initiatives spanning agriculture, cyber defense, finance, water technology, energy, and healthcare. The nonprofit American Friends of the Isaac Accords (AFOIA), based in New York, is already eyeing a second wave of partners — Brazil, Colombia, Chile, and El Salvador — for later in 2026, contingent on political conditions and donor support. The timing is deliberate: as much of Latin America has distanced itself from Israel since October 7, with Bolivia and Colombia severing ties altogether, Argentina under Milei is moving emphatically in the opposite direction, positioning itself as the anchor of a pro-Israel bloc in a region where such allies have become increasingly rare.

Netanyahu and Milei held a private one-on-one meeting before proceeding to the formal signing ceremony, which was attended by senior ministers from both governments.

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, representing President Donald Trump at the ceremony, opened his remarks by calling it “a distinct honor” to stand alongside “two of President Trump’s greatest friends.” Huckabee said that no two world leaders command more of President Trump’s respect or enjoy a closer personal relationship with him than Netanyahu and Milei.

He described the Isaac Accords as “an extraordinary opportunity” for the two countries to accomplish something that would change “the Western Hemisphere, the Middle East, and the rest of the world,” and called the signing a moment of “great historic significance.”

Huckabee praised both leaders for what he described as their role in restoring the values and “Judeo-Christian foundations of Western civilization,” and said they demonstrate “moral clarity,” courage, and conviction. 

Netanyahu, in his remarks, thanked Huckabee warmly, calling him “our great friend,” and expressed gratitude to his delegation, ministers, ambassadors, and all those who helped bring the day about. He also spoke about the broader geopolitical context, warning that the US-Israeli campaign against Iran is “not over yet” and that “any moment could bring us new developments.” “Who knows what tomorrow or the day after tomorrow will bring,” Netanyahu said. “But we shall achieve our objectives and achieve more hope, more light for the free peoples of the world.”

A centerpiece of the visit was the announcement of the first-ever direct El Al service between Ben Gurion Airport and Buenos Aires – the airline’s longest route to date. El Al Chairman Amikam Ben-Zvi confirmed the launch at the joint press conference. Milei indicated that the flights are expected to begin in December of this year. The route will be backed by a government support mechanism designed to ensure economic feasibility and long-term continuity, even amid ongoing regional security volatility.

Netanyahu said the direct connection would bring the friendship between the two countries “closer than ever,” expanding cooperation across technology, security, and tourism. Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich noted that the initiative forms part of a broader push to strengthen Israel’s strategic connections with international markets during a critical period, while Transportation Minister Miri Regev described the “open skies” policy as a national mission to ensure Israel remains connected to the world’s most vital hubs.

Huckabee, in a lighter moment, joked that he intended to be the first passenger to buy a ticket on El Al to Buenos Aires, solely so he could return with Argentinian beef, which he called “world-known” and said there was “none better.”

Beyond the aviation breakthrough, the day’s proceedings included the signing of two Memoranda of Understanding by Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and his Argentine counterpart, Pablo Quirno. The first established a comprehensive counterterrorism cooperation framework.

Its nine articles aim, according to an official press release from the Government Press Office, “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.” Practical cooperation under the agreement will include joint training and development for security forces and law enforcement, information sharing, courses, meetings, and the establishment of a joint working group empowered to promote and implement these areas.

A second memorandum addresses artificial intelligence, establishing a partnership between Israel’s National Artificial Intelligence Headquarters and Argentina’s Science, Technology, and Innovation Ministry. The GPO press release stated that “the partnership will address supercomputing infrastructure, application of artificial intelligence in critical civilian sectors, human capital, and joint research.”

Sa’ar also announced the opening of a $150 million credit line for Israeli businesses operating in Argentina, an additional measure intended to deepen economic ties between the two countries.

Sa’ar praised President Milei’s decision to formally designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its Quds Force as terrorist organizations, stating that Argentina thereby brings a “distinct moral dimension” to global foreign policy.

Milei grounded Argentina’s foreign policy alignment with Israel and the United States in the country’s own history with Iranian-sponsored terrorism. He reaffirmed his administration’s “firm support” for the joint US-Israeli campaign against the Iranian regime, citing the determinations made by Argentine courts regarding the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires and the 1992 bombing of the Israeli Embassy there – both of which Argentine judicial authorities have attributed to Iran.

To this day we continue to seek justice,” Milei said. He characterized the current foreign policy shift as a continued pursuit of accountability and framed the modern security alliance as an extension of Argentina’s longstanding legal and moral case against the Islamic Republic.

Huckabee also addressed the Iranian threat directly, praising the US partnership with Israel and describing it as an “extraordinary opportunity” for the United States to stand with Israel against what he called “a menace that has plagued the world for 47 years.” He thanked Netanyahu for “extraordinary courage, leadership, and direction” while expressing hope that swords could “soon be put aside for the plowshares” – but only if adversaries were willing to lay down their own.

In a gesture heavy with symbolic weight, Netanyahu announced that Milei will be the first foreign head of state in Israeli history to light a torch at Israel’s official Independence Day ceremony, scheduled for Tuesday evening.

The honor, traditionally reserved for Israelis of distinction, underscores the depth of the personal and political bond between the two leaders and the exceptional nature of the relationship Argentina has cultivated with the Jewish state under Milei’s leadership.

Sunday’s visit marked Milei’s fifth trip to Jerusalem since taking office – an extraordinary frequency for a sitting head of government – and included the formal opening of Argentina’s embassy in Jerusalem.