‘We won’t be able to coexist with certain cultures,’ says Milei during Israel visit

President Javier Milei said “we won’t be able to coexist with certain cultures,” after he was awarded an honorary doctorate on Monday by Bar-Ilan University in Israel. Milei is on his third visit to the country since he became Argentine president. He arrived on Sunday to take part in the celebrations of Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel’s independence day, held between April 19 and 22. During his stay, he reinforced his alignment with Israel and the United States, particularly in the context of the conflict in the Middle East. “We won’t be able to coexist with certain cultures. Because we defend life, and they want to kill us,” he said during the doctoral degree ceremony.  Established in 1955, Bar-Ilan University is a public research university in Tel Aviv and Israel’s second-largest academic institution. Milei later met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who awarded him the Presidential Medal of Honor for his “sustained support toward the State of Israel.” “The same cause” “I accept it with the honor it deserves, and as yet another warm gesture from the people of Israel, who welcome me with their characteristic affection on every visit,” said Milei in his acceptance speech. He added that “Argentina and Israel, each in its own way, stand for the same cause: keeping the flame of freedom alive in an uncertain world, where darkness now looms even over all the peoples who once knew freedom.” Milei arrived in Tel Aviv on Sunday, amid a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Iran and negotiations for peace in the Middle East.  He held a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — their fourth, since the Argentine took office —. Netanyahu then posted a message on social media, highlighting the two countries’ close ties.  “Welcome to Israel, welcome to Jerusalem, my friend, President of Argentina Javier Milei, a great friend of the State of Israel. Israel and Argentina stand together, stronger than ever,” the Israeli official stated on his official account.