Javier Milei, the president of Argentina, announced in a historic first address to the Knesset that his country will move its embassy to Jerusalem next year.
On his second visit to Israel in as many years, Milei has emerged as one of the Jewish state’s most vocal supporters in South America and beyond. He was received with repeated standing ovations and cries of “Viva Argentina!” and “Viva Israel!” in Israel’s parliament from across the political aisle.
“Argentina stands by you in these difficult days,” he said in Spanish, which was simultaneously translated into Hebrew. “Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about a large part of the international community that is being manipulated by terrorists and turning victims into perpetrators.”
The Argentinian leader lambasted the “cancer of antisemitism” that has been spreading across the globe following the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. He said that Buenos Aires will continue to demand that the remaining 53 hostages still being held by Hamas in Gaza be released, including four with Argentinian citizenship.
“How does the world allow a murderous terrorist organization to continue to hold innocent civilians hostage?” he asked. “When there is good and evil, there is no moral equality here.”
Israel and Argentina forged diplomatic ties 75 years ago, with the Latin American nation maintaining its embassy in Herzliya, north of Tel Aviv.
Hailing Milei as “a true friend,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pointed out that “12,000 kilometers separate Buenos Aires and the Knesset in Jerusalem. This great difference is compensated by the closeness of our hearts.”
“You have taken a stand for truth against falsehood, understanding that this is a war of unparalleled justice—an all-out battle between barbarism that threatens the entire world,” Netanyahu said in an address at the special evening parliamentary event.
“Time and again, you have chosen to prefer truth over comfort, faith over fashion and a moral compass over belonging to an automatic majority,” Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said in his address. “By standing by the State of Israel, you have woven yourself and the Argentinian people into the eternal story of the Jewish people.”
Six countries have their embassies in Israel’s capital: the United States, Guatemala, Honduras, Kosovo, Paraguay and Papua New Guinea.
All other nations that maintain ties with Israel have their embassies in Tel Aviv or its suburbs, due to the political sensitivities of Jerusalem.
