An Argentinian lawmaker said Wednesday that he expects greater support for moving the country’s Israel embassy to Jerusalem after parliamentary elections this fall.
The remarks come after more than 30 members of the Argentinian Congress signed a Declaration of Solidarity and Friendship to the State of Israel in the Buenos Aires parliament, reaffirming their support for Israel’s right to exist in peace and security and expressed backing for the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
“Regarding parliamentary support in Congress, there will likely be much broader support after the elections in October,” Alejandro Finocchiaro, who co-chairs the Argentinian Israel Allies Caucus told JNS. “At the moment there is still a very significant bloc—the largest in Congress—aligned with former president Christina Fernandez de Kirchner, that are not in favor of moving the embassy, even if they do not state it explicitly.”
Kirchner, long accused of covering up Iran’s role in the 1994 bombing of the Argentine Mutual Israelite Association (AMIA) Jewish community center building in Buenos Aires, has been sanctioned by the U.S. State Department for corruption and banned from entering the United States.
Milei, who has repeatedly pledged to move the embassy to Jerusalem, has broken with decades of Argentine foreign policy by siding firmly with Israel since taking office a year and a half ago.
Diplomatic ties between the countries were first established 75 years ago.
Finocchiaro noted that the decision to move the embassy remained the prerogative of the executive branch of government.
“Argentina is one of Israel’s strongest allies in the world,” said Leopoldo Martinez, Latin America Director of the Washington, D.C.-based Israel Allies Foundation, which organized the parliamentary event through its vast network of faith-based caucuses around the globe. “This is a clear demonstration of Argentina’s unwavering support and commitment to Israel during these challenging times, which lays the groundwork for even greater collaboration—including the future relocation of Argentina’s embassy to Jerusalem.”
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.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem in December 2017 set the stage for other countries to follow suit.
“Following the attacks of Oct. 7, Argentina has solidified its position as one of Israel’s most steadfast allies in this fight,” said Argentinian Deputy Sabrina Ajmechet, referring to the Hamas-led invasion of southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. “We will not only support Israel on the diplomatic front but will also confront the rising antisemitism that has resurfaced worldwide.”
Milei has emerged as one of Israel’s most vocal supporters, firmly aligning himself with Jerusalem and Washington.
He is due to sign a memorandum of understanding with Israel against terrorism and antisemitism during a June visit to the Jewish state, as well as give an address at the Israeli parliament.
Last year, Milei paid a wartime solidarity visit to Israel in one of his first official foreign trips as president, where he reiterated his pledge to move his country’s embassy to Jerusalem.
An iconoclast and political outsider, Milei was elected in November 2023 amid an economic crisis and skyrocketing inflation that has long beleaguered the South American country, which is making major strides toward recovery under his leadership.
A week after his election victory, he visited the United States for government meetings, stopping at the grave in New York of the Lubavitcher Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson. It was his third such visit that year.
Since taking office, Milei has listed Hamas as a terrorist organization and called out Iran’s terrorism, vowing to try in absentia Iranian suspects in the 1994 AMIA center bombing.
Earlier this year, Milei declared two days of national mourning for the Bibas children, Ariel, 4, and nine-month-old baby Kfir, who along with their mother, Shiri, were murdered in captivity by Palestinian terrorists in Gaza. The family, which held Israeli, Argentine and German citizenship, had become symbols of the plight of the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas on Oct. 7.