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Argentina’s Milei Receives Genesis Prize in Jerusalem, Award Money to Support Israel-Latin America ‘Isaac Accords’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the signing of MOUs with Argentine President Javier Milei. Photo: Amos Ben-Gershom (GPO)
Argentine President Javier Milei was awarded the $1 million Genesis Prize in Jerusalem on Thursday, in recognition of his unwavering support for Israel and commitment to Jewish values, during a three-day visit to the Jewish state.
During a ceremony at the Museum of Tolerance, Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Genesis Prize Foundation Chairman Stan Polovets presented the award to Milei, praising the Argentine leader as a “moral voice of clarity” on the international stage.
Milei waived his $1 million prize, and at his behest the Genesis Prize Foundation will donate the money to a nonprofit organization established to support Milei’s Isaac Accords initiative. The idea is modeled after the Abraham Accords — a series of historic US-brokered normalization agreements between Israel and several Arab countries — aimed at strengthening diplomatic ties between Israel and Latin American nations.
“In this difficult moment, I stand with you in solidarity, offering a fraternal embrace and a heartfelt ‘Am Yisrael Chai,’” Milei said during his acceptance speech, referring to the Hebrew expression meaning “the people of Israel live.”
Established in 2013, the annual $1 million prize — dubbed the “Jewish Nobel” by TIME magazine — honors individuals “for their outstanding professional achievements, contribution to humanity, and deep commitment to Jewish values.”
According to the Genesis Prize Foundation, Milei is the first non-Jewish recipient of the award and the first head of state to receive it in recognition of his unwavering support for Israel, commitment to democratic values, and resolute stand against terrorism and antisemitism.
“We must end Israel’s isolation on the world stage. Together with President Milei, we will start in Latin America and help make his dream of Isaac Accords a reality,” Polovets said during the ceremony.
“Milei’s support is not only symbolic. His Isaac Accords vision is a geopolitical strategy that can bring tangible results in Latin America,” he continued. “This is more than a prize. It’s a call to action.”
Polovets continued, “We want to encourage South and Central American countries to emulate Argentina’s example by strengthening relations with Israel, voting with – not against – Israel in the UN, cooperating on security matters, and promoting market-oriented democratic reforms across the region.”
The Genesis Prize Foundation announced it will partner with organizations such as StandWithUs, the Israel Allies Foundation, the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism, and Yalla Israel to support the launch of Milei’s initiative.
Since taking office over a year ago, Milei has been one of Israel’s most vocal supporters, strengthening bilateral relations to unprecedented levels and in the process breaking with decades of Argentine foreign policy tradition to firmly align with Jerusalem and Washington.
Last week, Milei embarked on a 10-day international tour — the longest since he took office — with planned stops in Italy, France, Spain, and Israel, where he spent the most time.
During his visit to the Jewish state, Milei announced that Argentina would move its embassy to Jerusalem next year, joining the US, Guatemala, Honduras, Kosovo, Paraguay, and Papua New Guinea in doing so and recognizing the city as Israel’s capital.
On Thursday, the Argentine leader also signed a “Memorandum of Understanding for Democracy and Freedom” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to strengthen cooperation against terrorism and antisemitism.
The agreement is intended as a counterweight to the MoU signed by former President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner with Iran, which allegedly covered up the 1994 bombing of the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA) Jewish community center in Buenos Aires.
The post Argentina’s Milei Receives Genesis Prize in Jerusalem, Award Money to Support Israel-Latin America ‘Isaac Accords’ first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.