Less than two months after Argentine President Javier Milei's visit to Israel and his announcement of plans to relocate his country's embassy from Herzliya to Jerusalem, Buenos Aires has halted this move. According to Hebrew media reports, the Argentine Senate decided this week to stop the embassy relocation process to Jerusalem, following opposition from lawmakers from the leftist parties.
Channel "I24" reported that last week, a temporary settlement was reached in Argentina, under which legislators from the left parties would agree to support the nomination of Rabbi Axel Finchers as the new Argentine ambassador to Israel, who is considered close to President Milei. In exchange, the decision was made to temporarily freeze the embassy relocation from Herzliya to Jerusalem.
It is worth noting that Javier Milei pledged during his visit to Israel to Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz to move the embassy to Jerusalem. The Argentine president has expressed "strong support for Israel and its right to defend itself in the war in Gaza" since his election, calling for "the immediate release of hostages held by Hamas without any conditions."
"I24" indicated that one of the main reasons for the opposition to the embassy's relocation in Argentine politics is a law stating that Argentina will not establish any embassy or political institutions in “occupied and disputed areas,” stemming from Buenos Aires' long-standing claim to the Malvinas Islands (Falklands) controlled by Britain.
