Natasha Niebieskikwiat
06/14/2021 12:31 PM
Clarín.com
World
Updated 06/14/2021 12:31 PM
The change in political power in Israel this Sunday invites us to reflect on what is expected of its relationship with Argentina, where the sixth largest Jewish community in the world lives, and the first in Latin America.
Different sources consulted by
Clarín
affirmed that there is no expectation of an improvement in the link or a worsening of the link at the moment, in the context of the
unexpected bilateral tensions
that emerged a few weeks ago due to the criticisms of the Alberto Fernandez administration of the recent onslaught. Israel in Gaza, prompting a reply from Tel Aviv.
Likewise, this newspaper learned that there will soon be a greeting from the president or the Foreign Ministry for the new prime minister from Buenos Aires
Naftali Bennett, who will govern for two years, in coalition with Yair Lapi
d
, who will govern for the other two.
On security issues, and with Hamas for example, Bennett, positioned on the right -and Lapid in the center- has harsher opinions than the now former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu himself, which
collides with the government sector that responds to Cristina Kirchner
It was in
March 2016
, during one of the largest sessions of the World Jewish Congress in this region.
There were about 400 guests in the rooms of the Sheraton Buenos Aires.
Perhaps due to the absence of acquaintances among local politicians at the time, in the photos and videos of that Congress, Bennett is seen as more distant or more formal in the group photos.
But since he was the highest authority representing the government of Israel, he received all the attention, along with well-known figures who came to the same meeting: former President Mauricio Macri;
the Secretary General of the OAS, Luis Almagro, and the CEO of the World Jewish Congress, Ronald Lauder.
The visit that the now Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett made to Argentina in 2016.
Photo: AJN
Son of the founders of the Estee Lauder cosmetics empire, the magnate said at that time that the Jewish people had "found a friend" in Macri, for the
an alliance then forged with the Israelis by the leader of the PRO.
In that 2016, Bennett was the
central guest at the act for the 24th anniversary of the terrorist attack on the Israeli Embassy
in Argentina, committed on March 17, 1992 (29 deaths).
He was a minister to the now former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Specifically, Minister of Education and Diaspora Affairs of your country.
But even then, leaders like the now former head of the Latin American Jewish Congress, Claudio Epelman
, heard him say that he would return to Argentina one day as prime minister
.
The desire now appears far away considering Israeli domestic politics, plus the current international and bilateral context.
Naftali Bennett with then-President Mauricio Macri.
Photo: archive
Bennett assumed the thirty-sixth government of Israel this Sunday, and one of his promises could have an impact on Argentina in the medium term.
Perhaps because of his previous position as minister of the Diaspora, he
wants to pay special attention to the situation of the Jewish community in the world
, so that they are better prepared to face situations that are political and social.
It is an obvious fact that in many cases, the Jewish leadership has a
high degree of identification with what is happening in Israel.
And so it was seen in the harsh conversation that the president of the DAIA, Jorge Knoblovits, had with Fernandez a few days ago.
Knoblovits was for the first time in the Casa Rosada of Alberto
F. after the Israeli Foreign Ministry summoned the Argentine ambassador there, Sergio Urribarri
, to protest against the Argentine vote before the United Nations Human Rights Council in favor of a resolution so that an
investigation
is opened
against Israel for alleged war crimes in its recent assault on Hamas in Gaza
, which left more than 200 dead.
Days before, it had been the Israeli ambassador Galit Ronen who expressed her annoyance at a statement from the Argentine Foreign Ministry that condemned Israel for the "disproportionate use of force" in Gaza.
But he made no allusion to Hamas terrorism.
Ronen said that this "no" reflected the degree of friendship between the two countries.
At the beginning of the month, Alberto Fernández sent a congratulatory letter to "I wish you the best of success for your government."
And he asked "to renew the ties."
It was a clear gesture of approach.
Even so, there are those in the community this Monday digested some anger because Fernandez greeted the Peruvian Pedro Castillo with lightning speed without being confirmed as president in his country, and in the case of Israel, he would take his time.
