There is an important issue on which there are certain
disagreements
between Pope Francis and President Javier Milei, whom he
will receive in audience next Monday
.
It is about the
status of Jerusalem
, which the Pope described years ago as “a unique city, sacred for Jews, Christians and Muslims.”
Milei, on the other hand, maintains that
Jerusalem should be recognized as the capital of Israel
and plans to move the headquarters of the Argentine embassy from Tel Aviv to the “eternal capital.”
On December 6, 2016, North American President Donald
Trump formally recognized the status of Jerusalem as the legitimate and sole capital of Israel,
reversing 70 years of US policy and confronting the decisions of the United Nations, which date back to 1947, when Israel was born and entered at war with the Arab states that besieged it.
Among the
UN decisions is the recognition of the Jerusalem status quo
, which provides for the creation of two States, one Jewish, the other Palestinian.
In the Six Day War, Israel defeated the Arab countries in 1967, occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem, annexing it de facto to its sovereignty in 1980. The
current situation was created, with the Jewish state fully controlling all areas of Jerusalem
.
Pope
Francis
then reacted by expressing his “deep concern about the situation” raised by President Trump's announcement in December 2016.
It must be remembered that in the Oslo agreements signed in 1993 between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization, it was established that the status of the city would be discussed in more advanced stages of the negotiations.
The Pope, in a meeting with a group of Palestinians involved in interreligious dialogue with the Vatican, stated after the American president's announcement that "
recognizing the rights of the entire population in the Holy Land is the first condition for dialogue
."
Francis at that time, when he expressed his “deep concern” about the situation, after a telephone conversation with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, sent “a message for everyone to commit to respecting the status quo of the city, in accordance with the relevant resolutions.” of the United Nations".
President Milei has stated on multiple occasions that
he intends to move the Argentine embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem
when “the conditions are met.”
During his visit to Israel, it is expected that his interlocutor on this issue will be President Isaac Herzog.
Correspondent.