Israel is concerned that Argentina may not carry out President Javier Milei’s pledge to move its embassy to Jerusalem on the upcoming Independence Day. Channel 12 News reported that the embassy relocation ceremony has been frozen due to tensions between Buenos Aires and Jerusalem over the activities of an Israeli company in the Falkland Islands, a territory subject to an international dispute. Preparations for the event have now been halted.
Argentine President Milei, a staunch supporter of Israel, declared last June during a special session of the Knesset plenum held in honor of his visit that his country would move its embassy to Jerusalem this year. “My brothers and sisters in Israel, Argentina stands with you in these difficult days,” Milei said at the time. “We are in a moral battle between good and evil, and we began to lose the moment we stopped being able to distinguish between them. This is a battle for the future itself.”
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Argentine President Javier Milei with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
(Photo: Menahem KAHANA / AFP)
Last November, Milei reiterated the pledge, telling Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar during a meeting at the presidential palace in Buenos Aires that the opening of Argentina’s embassy in Israel’s capital would take place in the coming spring months. Saar’s office said at the time that Milei also showed him a mezuzah affixed to the entrance of his office, as well as a personal prayer book he keeps there.
Despite the close ties between the two countries, officials in Buenos Aires have expressed strong anger over the activity of Israeli energy company Navitas Petroleum in the Falkland Islands, which have long been disputed between Argentina and Britain. Argentine officials are upset that Israel is not preventing the Israeli company from carrying out oil drilling in the volatile area.
Officials in Jerusalem have told Argentina that Navitas is a private company and that Israel therefore has no ability to intervene. Moreover, the very demand that Israel step in to block a private oil drilling company from operating in the Falklands runs counter to President Milei’s libertarian worldview, which opposes government intervention in the activities of a private company that is not breaking the law.
Amid the tensions with Argentina, Foreign Minister Sa'ar published a post on December 26 that sought to ease the anger to some extent. Saar said that Navitas Petroleum had announced that its British subsidiary would operate in the South Atlantic in an area where sovereignty is disputed between Argentina and Britain and stressed that Israel places great value on its special relationship with Argentina under President Javier Milei’s leadership.
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Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar with President Javier Milei in Buenos Aires
(Photo: Office of the President of Argentina)
Israeli officials familiar with the details believe the anger in Argentina does not truly reflect President Milei’s own position but is being fueled by officials at the Foreign Ministry in Buenos Aires who were never enthusiastic about moving the embassy to Jerusalem and are looking for a pretext. In Argentina, some oppose the embassy move out of concern it could lead to an Arab boycott of meat imports, one of the country’s largest export sectors.
Israel and Argentina continue to hold talks on the issue in an effort to resolve the crisis and ensure that the Argentine embassy is ultimately moved to Jerusalem, as Milei himself has promised and declared several times. It was also noted that the government recently approved 20 million shekels to launch a direct flight route from Buenos Aires to Israel. In addition, contacts are underway regarding a possible visit by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Argentina, and the current affair is casting a certain shadow over relations.
The Foreign Ministry said in response: “Argentina under the leadership of President Milei is one of Israel’s best and closest friends, and close and ongoing dialogue is maintained between the leaderships of Israel and Argentina. The issue mentioned in the inquiry was addressed publicly by Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar. The matters under discussion between the countries will continue to be addressed between the sides.”