Netanyahu: "Something wonderful happening"

In his remarks, Netanyahu recalled the diplomatic breakthrough he initiated on the continent: "In 2017, I discovered an astonishing fact: no sitting Israeli prime minister, in nearly 70 years of our history, had traveled south of Texas... So I decided we had to change that."

The prime minister acknowledged the political upheavals that swept the continent in recent years, but made clear that a profound shift is now underway: "Something wonderful is happening in Latin America."

"Sarah and I traveled to three places: Colombia, Argentina, and Mexico. It was a wonderful visit, very friendly in each of those countries."

Netanyahu even joked about current events in South America, including Brazil's presidential elections: "By the way, a year later, we traveled to a 'small' country called Brazil, for President Bolsonaro's inauguration. Who knows? Maybe we'll do it again."

The prime minister went on to describe the deterioration in relations during the years when far-left leaders came to power in those countries: "These deep ties were disrupted, they went off track, because in Argentina, in Mexico, in Brazil, and to my disappointment also in Colombia, a new Pharaoh arose, new Pharaohs, who did not know Joseph, or Gideon, or Benjamin. And all of this was swept into the global 'woke' alliance. It just deteriorated, deteriorated."

He celebrated the current shift in relations and what he described as their return to their natural course: "I have to tell you that something wonderful is happening in Latin America. Everything is coming back. Everything is coming back. The great friendship, the great sympathy, the deep sympathy between our peoples. True friendship. It is based, yes, on interests. I'll speak about that in a moment. But it comes from the heart. It comes from values. And I must say that President Abelardo de la Espriella articulated it exactly as it is, and you too, Omer, said it exactly: we're talking about a shared heritage. A Judeo-Christian heritage that began in this city, in this very city. The city of the prophets, the King of Israel, the city of Christianity. Everything began here, and this connects our peoples with the strongest bond. Not only the past, but the vision of the future."

Netanyahu emphasized the shared global struggle and noted that relations are not based solely on technological and security interests, but on an alert moral vision: "We represent life and hope, and we stand against a death cult that grips parts of the world. This is a battle of civilization against barbarism."

He continued, noting that beyond cultural ties, there is mutual enrichment between the sides: "We want to seize the future together in security, in agriculture, in water, in artificial intelligence, in everything. We want to grow and develop, not only the crops, but the people, the children. To give hope. That's what we represent."

Concluding his remarks, the prime minister shared a personal moment from his office, connecting historical roots to the modern strength of the State of Israel: "When people enter my office... they see a small model of a Merkava tank and an F-35. That's what I call strength. And beside it they see a copy of the Bible. That's what we call faith. Strength and faith, that's what guides and protects our future, and that's what we bring to our alliance together with you."