The Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires in the wake of the attack
Photo: Avi Peretz
Argentina moves to declare Memorial Day for 1992 Israeli Embassy attack
Lower house of Argentina's National Congress passes legislation recognizing day of remembrance and solidarity with the victims of the 1992 terror attack at the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires; Senate still needs to approve bill to complete legislative process.
The lower house of Argentina's National Congress passed legislation this week declaring March 17 to be a day of remembrance and solidarity with the victims of the 1992 terror attack
at the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires, which claimed the lives of 29 people.
The campaign began with local legislation in the cities of Buenos Aires and Rosario in March 2016 and in the Buenos Aires province in April 2016, and then moved to the national level.
When the legislative process is completed, all provinces in Argentina would be required to include in their curriculum educational activities dedicated to the consequences of global terrorism and the promotion of a dialogue of peace and non-violence.
The new legislation is the result of a successful campaign led by Israel's Ambassador Ilan Sztulman and the embassy in Buenos Aires.
The Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires in the wake of the attack (Photo: Avi Peretz)
Of the 189 members of Chamber of Deputies who voted on the legislation to recognize March 17 as "A Day of Remembrance and Solidarity with the Victims of the Attack on the Israeli Embassy," 187 voted in favor, while one voted against and one abstained.
The Senate would now have to approve the legislation with a majority of more than 50 percent (37 votes). Officials in the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires estimate there are currently 41 senators who support the legislation, with seven or eight additional senators also potentially supporting it.
The embassy hopes to bring the legislation to a vote in the Senate in March 2018 in an effort to complete the legislative process before the anniversary of the attack.
The Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires in the wake of the attack (Photo: AFP)
The legislation officially recognizes a 1999 ruling of the Argentine Supreme Court that determined Hezbollah and Iran were responsible for the attack. This fact will also be included in the educational activities surrounding the Memorial Day.
The legislation is part of the warming of ties between Israel and Argentina under the leadership of President Mauricio Macri, who is considered a friend of Israel.
Under his predecessor, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, Buenos Aires' ties with Jerusalem strained. Kirchner was accused of cooperating with the Iranians in covering up Tehran's involvement in the attacks on the Israeli embassy and on the AMIA Jewish community center in the Argentine capital.
On March 17, 1992, a car bomb blew up at the entrance to the Israeli Embassy in the Argentine capital, killing 29 people. Four of the dead were Israeli citizens working in the embassy, while four others were Jewish Argentine women. Over 220 people were wounded in the attack and entire sections of the historical four-story building collapsed.
