A message of congratulations on social media
Argentine president Javier Milei congratulated Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday for the electoral performance of his party, the Likud, which emerged as the most-voted force in Israel's legislative elections last Tuesday. In a post on the social network X, the Argentine leader praised the strength of Netanyahu's leadership, noting that surveys and forecasts had pointed the other way. Milei added that Argentina and Israel would remain strategic allies against those who challenge what he described as their Western values.[S1][S2]
The Israeli prime minister responded in kind on the same platform, thanking Milei for his friendship and for what he called unwavering support for Israel. Netanyahu described the Argentine president as a courageous leader and a true friend of the Jewish state, and said the two had built an extraordinary partnership that had extended across Latin America.[S2]
An unresolved election and a fragmented parliament
The congratulations arrived while Israel's Central Elections Committee was still processing the count and uncertainty hung over the formation of the next government. With nearly all ordinary ballots counted, the Likud took 27 seats in the 120-member Knesset, ahead of the 21 won by the main opposition party, Yashar, led by former general Gadi Eisenkot. The prime minister's bloc of right-wing and religious parties, however, reached only 53 seats, short of the 61 needed for a parliamentary majority.[S1][S3]
The opposition coalition of centrist and center-left factions stood at 48 seats, according to figures reported during the count. Arab parties secured 19 seats and could play a decisive role in negotiations over the next governing coalition. The final tally was still expected to include ballots from members of the security forces and the diplomatic corps, leaving the outcome of coalition talks open.[S2][S3]
The result also unfolded amid controversy over the Likud's claims of alleged electoral irregularities, which the Israeli police considered to be without evidence.[S1]
A close alliance, and a contrast with Brazil
Since taking office in December 2023, Milei has maintained firm political backing for Israel and a close relationship with Netanyahu. During a visit to Israel in 2024, the Argentine president voiced support for the release of hostages seized by Hamas in the attacks of October 7, 2023, endorsed Israel's right to defend itself and announced his intention to move Argentina's embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.[S1][S2]
The tone of Thursday's message differs sharply from the government's handling of Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's electoral victory in recent days. Neither Milei nor Argentina's foreign ministry publicly congratulated or acknowledged Lula's win, and the Argentine government is said to have cooperated in the departure from Brazil of senator Flávio Bolsonaro, who had lost his race and was under a judicial order barring him from leaving the country.[S1][S3]
Security minister Patricia Bullrich did comment on the Brazilian result, saying that voters decide at the ballot box and that their will must be respected, while also questioning Brazilian judicial action against Bolsonaro. Presidential spokesman Adrián Ravier had said Argentina took note of the results without announcing a formal congratulation, and Milei avoided the subject during official activity in Catamarca.[S3]
