Israeli President Yitzhak Herzog awarded Argentina’s President Javier Mileu with Israel’s highest civilian award at a ceremony in Jerusalem on Monday. TASR informs about it according to the DPA agency.
The Presidential Medal of Honor is awarded by the President of Israel to individuals who have made an extraordinary contribution to Israel or humanity through talent, service, or other meansthe presidential office said. Milei received the award “in recognition of his consistent and open commitment to Israel since taking office in 2023,” Herzog’s office said.
During his visit, the Argentine president lit a torch to commemorate the 78th anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel on May 14, 1948. According to the Hebrew calendar, the celebrations should begin on Tuesday evening, DPA explains. On Sunday, Milei also met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with whom they signed several strategic agreements and announced the introduction of a direct flight between Tel Aviv and Buenos Aires.
Milei visited Israel for the third time in two years. In his own words, he pledged to deepen the Jewish state’s relations with other Latin American countries. He also confirmed his intention to move the Argentine embassy to Jerusalem in the future.
This would be a controversial move because it could be seen as a recognition of Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem. The Jewish state occupied this part of the city during the Six-Day War in 1967 and considers all of Jerusalem to be its metropolis. The Palestinians also consider it the capital of their future independent state.
