Argentina set to relocate embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem
Argentinian President Javier Milei announced that Argentina will shift its embassy in Israel from Herzliya, near Tel Aviv, to West Jerusalem in 2026, News.Az reports citing Al Jazeera.
During a speech to Israel’s parliament on Wednesday, the strongly pro-Israel leader said he was “proud to announce” the embassy relocation, signaling support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
“Argentina stands by you in these difficult days,” Milei said.
“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,” he told the Knesset.
The Argentinian leader, currently on his second state visit to Israel since taking office in 2023, said Buenos Aires will continue to demand that Israeli captives held in Gaza be released, including four with Argentinian citizenship taken during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack.
Milei also took aim at Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who was detained and deported by Israeli authorities this week after boarding a Freedom Flotilla Coalition ship attempting to breach Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza.
Thunberg, known for her outspoken criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza, has condemned what she calls war crimes and the intentional starvation of Palestinians in the territory.
“[Thunberg] became a hired gun for a bit of media attention, claiming she was kidnapped, while real hostages are being held in subhuman conditions in Gaza,” Milei said, according to a Spanish-to-English translation provided by the Knesset.
Israel continues to face growing international scrutiny over the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where more than 55,000 Palestinians have been killed in over 20 months of conflict.
Milei criticized Greta Thunberg after her deportation from Israel for joining a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, accusing her of seeking media attention while ignoring hostages held in Gaza. Thunberg has condemned Israel's actions as war crimes amid rising global concern over the humanitarian crisis, with over 55,000 Palestinians killed in the conflict.
Currently, only six countries — Guatemala, Honduras, Kosovo, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, and the United States — have embassies in West Jerusalem.
In 2017, during his first term, President Donald Trump made the controversial decision to unilaterally recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, moving the U.S. embassy there in 2018. The move drew widespread international criticism and Palestinian outrage. The Biden administration has not reversed this policy and continues to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
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