Milei says Argentina to move Israel embassy to Jerusalem in 2026
"I am proud to announce before you that in 2026 we will make effective the move of our embassy to the city of west Jerusalem, as we promised," Milei said in a speech in the Israeli parliament during an official state visit.
Argentina's embassy is currently located in Herzliya near the coastal city of Tel Aviv.
This is Milei's second visit to Israel since being elected in 2023. His previous trip, in February 2024, was his first official state visit outside of Argentina.
During that trip he announced plans to move Argentina's embassy to Jerusalem -- a controversial move that echoed US President Donald Trump's shock 2017 decision to unilaterally recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
Israel has occupied east Jerusalem since 1967, later annexing it in a move not recognised by the international community.
Israel treats the city as its capital, while Palestinians want east Jerusalem to become the capital of a future state.
Most foreign embassies to Israel are located in the coastal hub city of Tel Aviv in order to avoid interfering with negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians.
Speaking ahead of Milei's address to parliament on Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said "the city of Jerusalem will never be divided again."
Several countries, including the United States, Paraguay, Guatemala, Honduras and Kosovo, have moved their embassies to Jerusalem, breaking with international consensus.
'Stand firm'
In 2017, during his first term as US president, Trump unilaterally recognised Jerusalem as Israel's capital, sparking Palestinian anger and the international community's disapproval.
The United States transferred its embassy to Jerusalem in May 2018.
Milei, who has professed a deep interest in Judaism and studied Jewish scripture, is one of Israel's staunchest defenders.
As Israel faces mounting international pressure over the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza after more than 20 months of war, Milei sought to express his support.
"As a nation, we want to stand firm alongside you as you go through these dark days, we will not yield to criticism resulting from cowardice or complicity with barbarism," he said on Tuesday during a meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
He also demanded the "unconditional return of the four Argentines still in captivity" in Gaza after Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel triggered the war.
The Palestinian militant group's attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.
The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says the retaliatory Israeli military offensive has killed at least 55,104 people, the majority civilians. The United Nations considers these figures to be reliable.
Out of 251 taken hostage during the Hamas attack, 54 are still held in Gaza including 32 the Israeli military says are dead.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
an hour ago
- France 24
How to break the cycle? From war in Gaza to a two-state solution?
From the show A death spiral in Gaza with no end in sight, a Middle East peace process that's been moribund for years. What's the point of talking solutions when not even a truce is in sight? In New York next week, France slated to co-chair with Saudi Arabia what's officially billed as a 'UN International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution.' Emmanuel Macron had strongly suggested he would recognize a Palestinian state. Is it still the case? We asked about the pressure on the French president to dial it back. With the U.S silent as Israel pounds Gaza and expands illegal Jewish settlements in the West Bank, what does recognizing Palestinian statehood change in practice? On Thursday, Paris will host a springboard event for New York. We heard from civil society participants in the civil society conference hosted by the Paris Peace Forum. How to find common ground to proposals that can win over a population where positions have generally hardened for so long? Produced by Rebecca Gnignati, Aurore Laborie and Ilayda Habip.
Euronews
2 hours ago
- Euronews
Egypt stops activists marching to Gaza to draw attention to aid crisis
Egypt blocked activists planning to take part in a march to Gaza on Thursday, halting their attempt to reach the border and challenge Israel's blockade of humanitarian aid to the enclave before the march could begin. Egyptian authorities and activists both said that dozens of people planning to march across the Sinai Peninsula were deported, but organisers said they had no plans to cancel the event. To draw attention to the humanitarian crisis afflicting people in Gaza, marchers have for months planned to trek about 50 kilometres from the city of Arish to Egypt's border with Gaza on Sunday to "create international moral and media pressure" to open the crossing at Rafah and lift a blockade that has prevented aid from entering. They said they had tried to coordinate with Egyptian embassies in the various countries from which the participants came, but authorities said they had not obtained authorisation for the march. Authorities deported more than three dozen activists, mostly carrying European passports, upon their arrival at Cairo International Airport in the past two days, an Egyptian official said on Thursday. The official said the activists aimed to travel to Northern Sinai "without obtaining required authorisations." The standoff has put pressure on the activists' home countries, which are wary of seeing their citizens detained. A French diplomatic official said France is in "close contact" with Egyptian authorities about French nationals who were refused entry in Egypt or detained to ensure "consular protection." The participants risked arrest for unauthorised demonstrations in sensitive areas like the Sinai Peninsula, the official added. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly on the sensitive diplomatic matter. Egypt has publicly denounced the restrictions on aid entering Gaza and repeatedly called for an end to the war. It has said that the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing remains open, but access to the Strip has been blocked since Israel seized the Palestinian side of the border as part of its war with Hamas that began in October 2023. However, authorities have for years clamped down on dissidents and activists when their criticism touches on Cairo's political and economic ties with Israel, a sensitive issue in neighbouring countries where governments maintain diplomatic relations with Israel despite broad public sympathy for Palestinians. Egypt had earlier warned that only those who received authorisation would be allowed to travel the planned march route, acknowledging it had received "numerous requests and inquiries." "Egypt holds the right to take all necessary measures to preserve its national security, including the regulation of the entry and movement of individuals within its territory, especially in sensitive border areas," its foreign ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. Israel Katz, the Israeli defence minister, yesterday referred to the protestors as "jihadists" and called on Egypt to prevent them from reaching the border with Gaza. He said they "endanger the Egyptian regime and constitute a threat to all moderate Arab regimes in the region." The march was set to begin just days after a large convoy, which organisers said included thousands of activists, travelled overland across North Africa to Egypt. Activists and attorneys said airport detentions and deportations began on Wednesday with no explicit reason given by Egyptian authorities to detainees. Algerian attorney Fatima Rouibi wrote on Facebook that Algerians, including three lawyers, were detained at the airport on Wednesday before being released and ultimately deported back to Algiers on Thursday. Bilal Nieh, a Tunisian activist who lives in Germany, said he was deported along with seven others from northern Africa who also hold European passports. Organisers said in a statement that they had received reports that at least 170 participants had been delayed or detained in Cairo. They said they had followed the protocols laid out by Egyptian authorities, met with them and urged them to let march participants into the country. "We look forward to providing any additional information the Egyptian authorities require to ensure the march continues peacefully as planned to the Rafah border," they said in a statement. The Global March to Gaza is the latest civil society effort pressing for the entry of food, fuel, medical supplies and other aid into Gaza. Israel imposed a total blockade in March in an attempt to pressure Hamas to disarm and to release hostages taken in the 7 October 2023 attack that sparked the current war in Gaza. It slightly eased restrictions last month, allowing limited aid in, but experts warn the measures fall far short. Food security experts warn the Gaza Strip will likely fall into famine if Israel doesn't lift its blockade and stop its military campaign. Nearly half a million Palestinians are facing possible starvation and 1 million others can barely get enough food, according to findings by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a leading international authority. Israel has rejected the findings, saying the IPC's previous forecasts had proven unfounded. African champions Al Ahly meet Inter Miami in the opening game. The match-up between Copa Libertadores winners Botafogo and recent UEFA Champions League victors PSG is a must-see match in the group stage. ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ
France 24
4 hours ago
- France 24
Trump says Israel should not strike Iran, as nuclear deal 'close'
Trump acknowledged that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was considering a strike, which he said could spark a "massive conflict" -- leading to a US decision to draw down embassy staff in the region. "We are fairly close to a pretty good agreement," Trump told reporters. Asked about his discussions with Netanyahu, Trump said: "I don't want them going in, because I think it would blow it." Trump quickly added: "Might help it actually, but it also could blow it." Trump's Middle East pointman Steve Witkoff is set to hold a sixth round of talks on Sunday in Oman with Iran, which defiantly said it would raise levels of uranium enrichment -- the key sticking point in talks. Trump again described himself as a man of peace and said he would prefer a negotiated settlement with Iran. "I'd love to avoid the conflict. Iran's going to have to negotiate a little bit tougher -- meaning they're going to have to give us some things that they're not willing to give us right now," he said.
