Natasha Niebieskikwiat
05/19/2021 1:53 PM
Clarín.com
World
Updated 05/19/2021 1:53 PM
A
A statement from the General Secretariat of the
Organization of American
States (OAS) on Monday about the Islamist group Hamas, generated immense satisfaction in a large part of the local Jewish community, but
at the same time
surprised
different governments, including Argentina.
He does not agree with the document,
Clarín
learned
, although there will be no pronouncements.
In fact, the tension that prevails between Tel Aviv and the Government of Alberto Fernández is precisely because the local statement criticized the "disproportionate use" of force by Israel, and instead there were no mentions of Hamas or its terrorist tactic. rather the "rocket launch" was criticized, which
led Ambassador Galit Ronen to complain that this "did not reflect" the friendship between her country and it.
Almagro's statement
The statement from the Secretary General of the OAS, Luis Almagro, on Monday was titled:
"Qualification of Hamas as a terrorist organization by the General Secretariat
.
"
He begins by saying that "the recent attacks launched by Hamas against the Israeli civilian population undoubtedly constitute attacks of a terrorist nature."
And he continued: "Hamas's terrorist aggression is unlimited and always seeks civilian victims, seeks to escalate conflict dynamics and armed actions, as well as to sow terror on innocent populations, be they Israeli or Palestinian."
The statement speaks of the "immoral and unworthy use of children and women as human shields, as well as the militarization of residential areas, considers positive" the invocation of the principle of
legitimate defense
by Israel.
Luis Almagro.
Photo: AFP
And finally it ends by stating that "the Hamas attacks constitute an attack against the peace and security of Israel and the region, and make it imperative to categorize Hamas as a terrorist organization for the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States."
Although the General Secretariat of the OAS is the central organ of the regional body and the declaration of Hamas as a "terrorist organization" may have political impact and eventually lead the countries of the organization to promote a vote towards a resolution in that regard, it will be a issue with
strong internal divisions
and that could not come to fruition.
By the way,
Fernández maintains an
open confrontation
with Almagro on issues related to Cuba, Bolivia and Venezuela.
Following the statement from the OAS General Secretariat on Monday,
Clarín
consulted various Argentine and Latin American bodies for their opinion and they agreed to separate the decisions.
In the Government they remarked: "One thing is a declaration of the general secretary and another a vote of countries and that did not happen."
They consider that "time" will give them "the reason" because they say there is increasing criticism in the United States and Europe of Benjamin Netanyahu's war option against the Hamas group, which is generating numerous civilian and innocent victims on the Palestinian side.
They also continue to defend the statement they issued as an option based on the words of the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, which are completely different from those of Almagro, and criticisms of the Israeli option, but which also have no impact beyond the secretary of the agency.
In the region, in addition to Argentina, Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico criticized the Israeli action.
But it is interesting to refer to the times when Mauricio Macri ruled when the debate about what to do with Hamas slipped when it was finally decided to include Hezbollah in a national list of terrorist groups belonging to Argentina.
In July 2019, Buenos Aires hosted an
antiterrorism summit attended
by then-Donald Trump's Secretary of State,
Mike Pompeo
.
He was received by Foreign Minister Faurie, and in the heat of the discussions, while Hezbollah was being debated, the United States pressed for Hamas to be considered a terrorist organization as well.
Finally that debate, which was complex, ended with Argentina - which until then considered the groups listed in the United Nations as terrorists -
recognizing only Hezbollah
as such.
In particular, it was decided on that option taking into account that Hezbollah is considered by the Argentine courts to be responsible for the attacks on the Israeli embassy (1992, 29 dead) and the AMIA (1994, 85 dead).
This issue was later the subject of tension between the Fernández government and Israel because upon assuming his administration, sectors of Christianity wanted to eliminate the Shiite group from that list, which in the end did not happen.
Now,
Clarín
knows
,
it is not the intention of this government at all to debate whether or not Hamas is.
Kirchnerism is affirmed that it is a Palestinian resistance movement, which governs the Gaza Strip, and they
avoid discussing the use of terror exercised by its military arm.
At the Instituto Patria, led by the former president and today vice president Cristina Kirchner, an activity was organized in 2020 in solidarity with the Palestinian people.
Hamas is a terrorist group for Israel, the United States, Canada, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Japan, New Zealand, Jordan.
And then in the region it was defined by Colombia and Paraguay.
ap
Look also
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In the midst of the war between Israel and Hamas, anti-Semitic expressions appeared in Argentina