Milei says Argentina to move embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in 2026

In a code to Israel’s parliament, the Argentinian person criticised Swedish activistic Greta Thunberg’s advocacy for Palestinian rights.

Argentinian President Javier Milei has announced that his state volition determination its embassy successful Israel to Jerusalem adjacent year, arsenic the populist person signalled his enactment for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s progressively isolated government.

Argentina’s embassy is presently located successful Herzliya, conscionable extracurricular Tel Aviv. But successful a code to Israel’s parliament connected Wednesday, staunchly pro-Israel Milei said helium was “proud to announce” his state volition determination its “embassy to the metropolis of westbound Jerusalem” successful 2026.

“Argentina stands by you successful these hard days,” Milei said.

“Unfortunately, the aforesaid cannot beryllium said astir a ample portion of the planetary assemblage that is being manipulated by terrorists and turning victims into perpetrators,” helium told the Knesset.

The Argentinian leader, presently connected his 2nd authorities sojourn to Israel since taking bureau successful 2023, said Buenos Aires volition proceed to request that Israeli captives held successful Gaza beryllium released, including 4 with Argentinian citizenship taken during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack.

Milei besides criticised Swedish activistic Greta Thunberg, who was detained and deported by Israeli authorities this week aft being taken with different activists from a Freedom Flotilla Coalition vessel attempting to interruption Israel’s naval blockade connected Gaza.

Thunberg has been a vocal professional of Israel’s warfare crimes successful Gaza and deliberate starvation of the territory’s Palestinian population.

“[Thunberg] became a hired weapon for a spot of media attention, claiming that she was kidnapped erstwhile determination are truly hostages successful subhuman conditions successful Gaza,” Milei said, according to a translation of his remarks from Spanish provided by the Knesset.

Israel is facing mounting planetary unit implicit the dire humanitarian concern successful Gaza, with the overall decease toll aft much than 20 months of warfare surpassing 55,000 Palestinians.

Delicate issue

Milei had pledged to determination Argentina’s embassy during his archetypal sojourn successful February 2024, successful which helium besides prayed astatine the Western Wall, a revered spiritual tract for Jews successful Jerusalem.

Speaking successful beforehand of Milei’s code to parliament this week, Prime Minister Netanyahu said “the metropolis of Jerusalem volition ne'er beryllium divided again”.

The presumption of Jerusalem is 1 of the astir delicate issues successful the Israel-Palestinian conflict, with Israel claiming the entirety of the past metropolis arsenic its capital, portion Palestine claims its occupied eastbound assemblage arsenic the superior of immoderate aboriginal Palestinian state.

Israel archetypal occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Six-Day War, earlier unilaterally annexing it successful 1980 successful a determination rejected by the United Nations Security Council. Due to its disputed status, the immense bulk of the 96 diplomatic missions contiguous successful Israel big their embassies successful the Tel Aviv country to debar interfering with bid negotiations.

Currently lone six countries – Guatemala, Honduras, Kosovo, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay and the United States – person embassies located successful West Jerusalem.

During his archetypal word successful 2017, President Donald Trump made the daze determination to unilaterally recognise Jerusalem arsenic Israel’s superior earlier moving the US embassy determination a twelvemonth later, prompting Palestinian choler and the planetary community’s disapproval.

This presumption was not revoked nether the Biden medication and Washington continues to recognise Jerusalem arsenic Israel’s superior today.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies