The Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a special event yesterday (Monday) to mark 75 years of diplomatic relations between Israel and Argentina. The event was attended by President of Israel Isaac Herzog, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Speaker of the Knesset Amir Ohana, as well as Argentina’s Ambassador to Israel, Simon Axel Wahnish.
Argentina has one of the largest Jewish communities in the world, and over the generations, strong ties have been formed between this community and Jews in Israel, which helped establish better relations between the two countries. Relations have been characterized by a positive approach over most years, and they were not destabilized even after the famous story of Adolf Eichmann’s abduction on Argentinian soil, where he hid under the alias “Ricardo Klement.” Relations deepened after Hezbollah targeted Argentina’s Jewish community for indirect retaliation against Israel in the early 1990s – with two deadly suicide bombings in Buenos Aires, one at the Israeli Embassy and another at the Jewish community building.
However, the bond between Israel and Argentina has significantly deepened over the past year, under the presidency of Javier Milei – a known supporter of Israel, who has consistently stood behind Israel since the outbreak of the war. He visited the Western Wall and the Gaza border communities, added Hamas to his country’s list of terrorist organizations (Hezbollah was already listed), and expressed his future intention to move Argentina’s embassy to Jerusalem. Additionally, it is important to note that some of the hostages hold Argentinian citizenship – including members of the Bibas family.
President Herzog spoke at the festive event:
“It is a great honor to celebrate a brave and beautiful friendship between nations. The ties between us have expanded in many new directions, and there is no doubt that the bridges between us have become stronger than ever under the leadership of my dear friend, President Javier Milei, who visited Israel in solidarity after the brutal massacre on October 7th. Now, in Israel, in Argentina, and across the world, we continue to hear the cries of our brothers and sisters, including Argentinian citizens, who are still in the tunnels of Gaza. We continue to cry out and demand together that this vile and ongoing crime against humanity comes to an end.”
Argentina’s Ambassador, Simon Wahnish, also addressed the war:
“In moments of crisis, true friends reveal themselves. From the very first moments of his presidency, President Milei supported Israel’s right to defend itself, condemned the cruelty of the Hamas terrorist attack, and called for the immediate release of all the hostages.”
