Spanish
The President of Argentina, Javier Milei, reaffirmed this Thursday in Jerusalem the close ties between his country and Israel, during a visit to the Hebrew University, where he was received with cheers from students and the protest of some pro-Palestinian demonstrators.
"I was clear in international politics, I declared myself in favor of peace, in favor of free trade, and from the first moment I clearly defined who were or who I intended to be my allies," stated Milei during a conference in the university auditorium, before an audience composed of students and professors.
"And those allies that I said I was going to pass are the United States and Israel," he added.
The Argentine leader's visit was marked by cheers from those present at the university, but also a protest when a group of activists burst onto the red carpet at the entrance to the venue, carrying Palestinian flags and chanting slogans, according to local media reports and various videos shared on social media.
Protesters were forcibly removed by security personnel.
The visit took place one day after Milei announced before the Israeli Parliament (the Knesset) that Argentina will move its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in 2026, thus fulfilling a campaign promise.
With this decision, Milei follows in the footsteps of the President of the United States, Donald Trump, who in 2018 ordered the relocation of the US embassy to Jerusalem, recognizing it as the capital of Israel.
The relocation of embassies to Jerusalem is seen as a gesture of support for the Israeli position on the city, whose eastern part has been occupied and annexed by Israel since 1967, but which the Palestinians claim as the capital of their future state.
