Several facts indicate the commitments made by Javier Milei in Israel to move the traditional embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and to declare Hamas a Terrorist Group under Argentine law.
If something caught his attention, it was that when he got off the plane, the new foreign minister, Israel Katz, took him by surprise and without a conversation, a coffee, or a reception as usually happens in diplomacy, he thanked Milei for these events and the President managed to repeat what he heard, in the affirmative.
Something similar happened this Wednesday when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu anticipated Milei on the same points of Jerusalem and Hamas, at a time when the president already had his thoughts on Argentina.
This was reflected in his
tweet fury
against those he considers responsible for the failure of the “Omnibus Law” in Congress.
Israel sharpened its war against terrorism after the savage attack by Hamas against Israeli territory on October 7, which left 1,200 dead and 240 hostages, including more than a dozen Argentines.
But Israel's historic self-defense against neighbors who seek to destroy it finds this time a world less sympathetic to the cause because the invasion of Gaza has already left more than 26,000 dead, including numerous children and innocents.
Another reason is the growing anti-Semitism.
Milei meanwhile feels that he is fulfilling his campaign promises with this trip to the Holy Land.
But there is
a wave of concern in local and regional intelligence
and also among the Mercosur governments about the commitments made by Milei, who emulates his friend Donald Trump on Israel, but with much less back.
Never before had Hamas dedicated a paragraph to this region like in the statement a day ago.
The Islamist terrorist group declared itself “enraged” by Milei's decision to move the embassy.
Hamas does not register any activity in this area either, unlike the active presence that Hezbollah had, and is presumed to continue to have, responsible for the Argentine justice system for the terrorist attacks against the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires in 1992 (29 deaths) and against the AMIA, 1994 (85 deaths).
Both the Arab Parliament, the Arab League and the Palestine Liberation Front also repudiated the Libertarian's decision, which contradicts
UN Security Council resolution 478
that declared Israel's annexation of Jerusalem as "null and void." ” and demanded that it be rescinded.
This UN resolution was issued before the approval of the so-called “Jerusalem law” on 7/30/1980, which proclaimed the city of Jerusalem “entire and unified” as the capital of the State of Israel, but for the UN it was a violation of international law.
The Palestinians consider East Jerusalem as their capital in a long and abortive process for two States to coexist there.
In this case, it does not cease to attract attention that Foreign Minister Diana Mondino herself made a statement in the middle of the trip in which she stated that the transfer of the embassy “will take between four and five years” because there is no money.
In the statement that the Foreign Ministry published about the presidential trip, Milei's commitments are not mentioned.
Here is a reminder of some milestones carried out by other presidents in the last forty years.
Raul Alfonsín tried to establish a cordial relationship with Israel and had a good relationship with Shimon Peres.
But his original intention to travel to Israel and become the first Argentine president to set foot in the Jewish State was frustrated by the refusal of his chancellor, Dante Caputo, who feared antagonizing the Arab countries he wanted to seduce in his claim to be President of the UN General Assembly.
Carlos Menem, of Syrian origin, would be the first Argentine president to arrive in Israel in 1991. Then he also sought to compensate for his trip and on the same tour he made a stopover in Cairo where he had a warm meeting with Hosni Mubarak
Menem maintained cordial relations with the Jewish community and had several members of his cabinet from the Jewish community.
But his mandate was marked by the attacks of 1992 and 1994, about which there are different theories.
Some suggest that the attacks were due to the cancellation of Argentina's nuclear agreements with Iran, others to the sending of ships to the Gulf War in alliance with the United States.
Mauricio Macri sought from the beginning to repair the damaged relations with Israel after Cristina Kirchner's pact with Iran to turn the page in the AMIA cause.
Macri managed to get Benjamin Netanyahu to travel to Buenos Aires in 2017 in what would be the first tour by an Israeli premier to South America.
But he did not travel to Tel Aviv or Jerusalem.
Macri made a strong positive gesture towards the community, towards Israel and the United States by declaring that Hezbollah became part of the Argentine list of groups considered terrorists.
It was in 2019. There was no legal basis to use these arguments with Hamas.
Nor now, although one possibility would be to consider the Argentine-Israeli victims of the 10/7 attack.
During the Macri government, a statement was issued recognizing the need for two states to exist and with respect to Jerusalem it was stated: "Like most of the international community, Argentina supports the special international regime of Jerusalem, as established by it." Resolution 181 (1947) of the UNGA, as well as free access, visit and transit without restriction to the Holy Places for the faithful of the 3 monotheistic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), for which Argentina regrets unilateral measures that could modify this special statute."
No president before Milei considered moving the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
See also
See also
At the Holocaust Museum, Javier Milei announced the transfer of the embassy to Jerusalem and Benjamin Netanyahu received him "as a great friend" of Israel
See also
See also
Javier Milei met with Isaac Herzog and gave his support "for Israel's right to self-defense"