Milei meets Netanyahu at UN, backs Israel amid ICC warrant

Argentine President Javier Milei met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday at the United Nations in New York, his only bilateral meeting during the General Assembly. The 20-minute closed-door discussion focused on the Middle East crisis and reinforced the strategic alliance between the two countries.

Netanyahu faces an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, prompting many delegations to walk out during his UN speech. Milei is the only Latin American leader to publicly back Netanyahu, who praised Argentina's economic transformation as "magistral."

“What you have done for Argentina's economy is magistral, very difficult to achieve, with much political resistance.”

The meeting also highlighted a diplomatic tension: Israeli firm Navitas Petroleum operates the Sea Lion oil project in the Falkland Islands, which Argentina considers illegal. Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno said he did not know if Milei raised the issue, noting it is a private conversation. Months earlier, Netanyahu told Milei he could not intervene because Navitas is a private company.

Milei also addressed the Economic Club of New York, where he reaffirmed Argentina's sovereignty claim over the Falklands and outlined his views on artificial intelligence before returning to Buenos Aires.