Netanyahu Takes Off on Historic Visit to Latin America

In the latest breakthrough in Israel’s diplomatic achievements, Netanyahu is making an historic visit to Latin America, where agreements will be signed in several fields.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to embark Sunday evening on an historic visit to Latin America, the first such official visit by a sitting Israeli prime minister. The agenda includes visits to Argentina, Colombia and Mexico, highlighting Israel’s high-tech expertise.

Paraguayan President Horacio Cartes will travel to Buenos Aires to meet with Netanyahu, who will be accompanied by a delegation of Israeli entrepreneurs in the fields of agriculture, water, communications and energy.

Members of the delegation will hold commercial meetings with their local counterparts. Economic events will also be held in Argentina and Mexico, led by Netanyahu and the Argentine and Mexican heads of state.

Netanyahu will begin his trip in Buenos Aires, where he will meet with President Mauricio Macri. The two countries are expected to sign a series of agreements on public security, customs and social insurance as well as an archives agreement regarding the Holocaust.

In Buenos Aires, the Israeli premier will attend ceremonies in Embassy Square, site of the 1992 terrorist bombing, along with family members of the Israeli diplomats who were killed in the attack. He will also visit the Jewish community building (AMIA), site of the 1994 terrorist attack, along with family members of the victims – 115 people died in both attacks – as well as survivors.

From Argentina, Netanyahu will fly to Bogota to meet with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos. The two countries will sign joint agreements: a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in science and a tourism cooperation agreement.

From Colombia, the Israeli leader will fly to Mexico City, where he will meet with Mexican President Enrique Peńa Nieto. Israel and Mexico will sign an MOU on space, an aviation agreement, a communications agreement and a cooperation agreement with MASHAV, Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation.

Netanyahu: ‘This is a Gigantic Bloc’

Netanyahu will also attend events with local Jewish communities in Argentina, Colombia and Mexico and meet with community leaders.

“This is a gigantic bloc that we have not yet visited,” Netanyahu stated at an event last week. “It is a great market in a large bloc of important countries. There is a breakthrough here…the fundamental assumption was that if we made an agreement with the Palestinians, which we have wanted and still want, it will open the world to us. There is no doubt that it will help, but the world has opened even without it, and it does not detract from the importance of considering tracks and the diplomatic process and normalization,” he explained.

“What there is here is a great change and it is happening despite the fact that, to our regret, the Palestinians have not changed the conditions for a diplomatic agreement which are unacceptable to a large portion of the public, and it is still happening,” Netanyahu expanded.

He said that Israel is succeeding in the diplomatic realm because it is “cultivating two kinds of strength, which together are bringing a third. We are cultivating as policy, economic-technological strength which allows us to cultivate Israel’s military-intelligence strength and their combination gives diplomatic strength and this is a different concept.”

Following his visit to Latin America, Netanyahu will fly to New York to attend the UN General Assembly, where he will deliver an address on its opening day. He is also due to meet with various world leaders, including US President Donald Trump.

By: United with Israel Staff