Netanyahu hints at Argentina moving its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem

JERUSALEM/ISTANBUL

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Argentine President Javier Milei’s next visit to Israel will include “an event at his country’s embassy in Jerusalem,” in a clear hint that Buenos Aires intends to relocate its embassy from Tel Aviv to that city.

The statement was issued by Netanyahu’s office a day after Milei announced that Argentina will move its embassy to Jerusalem by 2026—a pledge he also made during his visit to Israel in February 2024, shortly after taking office.

Milei’s most recent visit to Israel, which began on June 9, concluded Thursday.

Netanyahu’s office also said the two sides signed a number of memoranda of understanding, though no details were disclosed.

The statement added that Netanyahu and Milei visited the Al-Buraq Wall in Jerusalem’s Old City.

The Al-Buraq Wall, also known as the Western Wall or Wailing Wall, is a significant religious site for both Judaism and Islam and forms part of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

Palestinians consider it an integral part of occupied East Jerusalem and reject any claims to its sovereignty.

Most countries have refused to move their embassies to Jerusalem, viewing such an act as tacit recognition of Israel’s unilateral claim to the city as its capital.

Critics argue that this undermines efforts toward a two-state solution and marginalizes Palestinian rights in East Jerusalem, which Palestinians seek as the capital of their future state.

Currently, only a handful of countries maintain embassies in Jerusalem, including the US, Kosovo, Honduras, Guatemala, Papua New Guinea and Paraguay.

The Israeli army, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, has pursued a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing over 55,200 Palestinians, most of them women and children.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.