Argentina to move embassy in Israel to Jerusalem next year
Argentina will relocate its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in 2026, President Javier Milei announced during a speech to the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, on Wednesday.
"We want to honour the historic friendship that unites our peoples and strengthens the commercial and diplomatic ties between us," Milei was quoted as saying by Israeli media.
The Argentine president has been on a state visit to Israel since Monday evening and is seen as a close ally of the country.
The relocation of embassies to Jerusalem remains internationally controversial, as it is widely viewed as a potential endorsement of Israel's claim over the entire city, including East Jerusalem.
Israel captured East Jerusalem during the 1967 Six-Day War and claims the whole city as its capital. The Palestinians seek East Jerusalem as the capital of a future independent state.
Only a few countries have aligned with Israel's position. The United States moved its embassy to Jerusalem in 2018 under President Donald Trump, and the decision was upheld by his successor Joe Biden.
Since then, Guatemala, Honduras, Paraguay, and Papua New Guinea have followed suit. Kosovo, which established diplomatic relations with Israel in 2021, also opened its embassy in Jerusalem that year.
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