Argentina's Milei First Latin American Leader to Visit Israel Since War; Prays at Western Wall
John Waage : Feb 6, 2024
CBN News
The Milei visit has generated excitement and gratitude in Israel because he has spoken of his desire to convert to Judaism and has pledged to explore a move of Argentina's embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
(Jerusalem, Israel) — [CBN News] Argentina's President Javier Milei arrived in Israel Tuesday afternoon and immediately announced he would seek to move his country's embassy to Jerusalem. Milei became the first Latin American leader to set foot in Israel since the October 7th Hamas attacks. (Screengrab image)
The newly-elected Milei's first bilateral visit to another country and he was welcomed heartily at the airport by Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz. His entourage later traveled to Jerusalem where he prayed at the Western Wall, one of Judaism's holiest sites.
Milei is scheduled to make a solidarity visit to Kibbutz Nir Oz, an Israeli community near Gaza which was hard-hit during the Hamas massacre and kidnappings. He'll also visit Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust Memorial.
The Argentinian leader is expected to meet his counterpart, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on Wednesday. Netanyahu congratulated Milei last December on his earlier election victory, calling him a "true friend" of Israel and inviting him to visit.
The Milei visit has generated excitement and gratitude in Israel because he has spoken of his desire to convert to Judaism and has pledged to explore a move of Argentina's embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Milei has also appointed his rabbi, Axel Wahnish, from the Buenos Aires Moroccan community, to be Argentina's ambassador to Israel. Wahnish is accompanying Milei in Israel.
The president's pro-Israel and pro-American views could represent a sea change in foreign policy for one of the major Latin American nations, although his first priority is reviving his country's unhealthy economy.
He plans to work for Argentina's designation of Hamas as a terrorist organization. Argentinians were among the hostages taken by Hamas in October. Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here
John Waage has covered politics and analyzed elections for CBN News since 1980, including primaries, conventions, and general elections.