In Argentina, Javier Milei’s categorically pro-Israeli stance against Iran has drawn criticism. The libertarian president has broken with Argentina’s tradition of non-alignment in conflicts in the Middle East, and many voices, both in the opposition and in the academic world, question the interest of such an intransigent position .
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With our correspondent in Buenos Aires, Théo Conscience
As soon as he was informed of Iran’s attack on Israel, Javier Milei decided to cancel his official trip to Denmark to return and lead a security council in Buenos Aires. A security council to which he invited the ambassador of the Jewish state to Argentina.
In a statement, the Argentine government emphatically expressed its support for Israel’s right to defend itself, without calling for de-escalation and without the word peace appearing once. This is a break with the Argentinian tradition of non-alignment in conflicts in the Middle East, a break at which former President Alberto Fernandez did not fail to be indignant.
A pro-Israeli position that questions
Beyond the political opposition, many experts in international relations also question the interest for the country that the total alignment with Israel decided by Javier Milei may represent. The Argentine president had already announced his desire to move the Argentine embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Javier Milei’s pro-Israeli position raises even more questions in Argentina since on Friday April 12, the courts ruled that the two attacks on Argentine soil – which left 97 dead in the 1990s – had been sponsored by Iran. Attacks which were motivated by a turnaround in the foreign policy of then President Carlos Menem.
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