Argentina's President Javier Milei visits the Western Wall, the last remaining vestige of the Second Temple which is considered the holiest site where Jews can pray, in Jerusalem's Old City on Feb. 6, 2024. (Credit: Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP)
TEL AVIV — Argentina's President Javier Milei announced to his Israeli hosts on Tuesday the plans to move his country's embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, almost as soon as he touched down.
The 53-year-old economist, who upended traditional politics to win the election last year, was greeted warmly off his plane by Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz at Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv.
The controversial declaration adds Argentina to a list of only five countries with their embassies in Jerusalem— the other 92 countries with diplomatic ties to Israel have their embassies located in Tel Aviv.
Jerusalem is at the heart of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, as the latter has illegally occupied the east of the city since 1967, and internationally condemned Israeli settlements occupy land there which was designated by the UN as "Palestine" during the partitioning that created Israel in 1948.
Right-winger Netanyahu and the libertarian Milei, who has been compared to former US president Donald Trump — who moved the US embassies to Jerusalem in 2018 — are scheduled to meet for talks on Wednesday, with the aim of deepening ties between the two countries.
Milei, on his first official visit since taking office barring a brief swing through the Davos economic forum in Switzerland, said: "My plan is to move the embassy to west Jerusalem."
Confirmation of the widely expected announcement found favor with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose office said he "warmly welcomes" the move.
"The prime minister spoke about this with President Milei after his election, and welcomes the fact that the president has kept his promise," a statement read.
After his arrival, Milei headed to the Western Wall in Jerusalem — the holiest place where Jews can pray. His trip will also see him visit a kibbutz and meet families of hostages taken by Hamas in October.
Milei, known for his fiery speeches and rock-star sideburns, describes himself as an "anarcho-capitalist." He was raised in a Catholic family but has studied Jewish scripture.
After his election win in November, he visited the tomb of a revered rabbi in New York — a popular spiritual destination for some Jews.
Argentina's Jewish community is 250,000 strong and one of the largest in Latin America.
From Israel, Milei heads to Rome on Friday for a meeting with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and a private audience with Pope Francis.
Milei has previously criticized his fellow Argentinian but toned down his rhetoric more recently.
Hamas condemns Argentinian move
On Tuesday, Hamas said it "strongly condemns" Milei after he announced the embassy's move to Jerusalem.
Hamas said it viewed the move "an infringement of the rights of our Palestinian people to their land, and a violation of the rules of international law, considering Jerusalem as occupied Palestinian land."
The United Nations in 1947 envisaged a special international status for Jerusalem given its importance for Jews, Christians and Muslims.
But the city was left divided after the war that followed Israel's declaration of independence in 1948.
Israel seized east Jerusalem from Jordan during the Six-Day War of June 1967, and later annexed it, and regards the entire city as its indivisible capital.
Jerusalem has been under Israeli authority ever since but Palestinians claim the eastern part as the capital for their hoped-for future state.
TEL AVIV — Argentina's President Javier Milei announced to his Israeli hosts on Tuesday the plans to move his country's embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, almost as soon as he touched down.
The 53-year-old economist, who upended traditional politics to win the election last year, was greeted warmly off his plane by Israel's Foreign Minister Israel...