Argentine President Javier Milei Criticizes Greta Thunberg’s Pro-Palestinian Stance and Announces Embassy Move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in Israeli Parliament Speech
In a speech to Israel's parliament (the Knesset), Argentine President Javier Milei criticized Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg for her pro-Palestinian stance and announced that Argentina will move its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in 2026. This declaration signals strong support for the increasingly isolated government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from the populist South American leader.
Currently, Argentina's embassy is located in Herzliya, a suburb of Tel Aviv. However, in his speech on Wednesday, Milei made his pro-Israel stance clear, stating:
“I proudly announce that in 2026, Argentina will relocate its embassy to West Jerusalem.”
“Argentina stands with you in these difficult times.”
He further said,
“Unfortunately, a large part of the international community is influenced by terrorists and portrays the victims as criminals.”
This marks Milei's second state visit to Israel since taking office in 2023. He reaffirmed Argentina’s continued call for the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, including four Argentine nationals who were kidnapped during the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack.
In his speech, Milei also criticized Greta Thunberg, who was recently detained and deported by Israeli authorities after boarding a ship in the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, an effort aimed at breaking the Israeli naval blockade on Gaza.
Thunberg has long spoken out against Israeli war crimes and what she terms deliberate famine in the besieged Gaza Strip.
Milei remarked,
“[Thunberg] has become a hired spokesperson seeking media coverage, claiming she was kidnapped, while the real hostages are living in inhumane conditions in Gaza.”
Following more than 20 months of war in Gaza, which has killed over 55,000 Palestinians, Israel is facing mounting international pressure.
Milei had first pledged to move the embassy during his February 2024 visit to Israel, during which he also prayed at the Western Wall, one of Judaism's holiest sites.
Ahead of Milei’s speech this week, Prime Minister Netanyahu declared:
“Jerusalem will never be divided again.”
However, the status of Jerusalem remains one of the most sensitive issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel claims the entire city as its capital, while the Palestinians seek East Jerusalem—occupied by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War and unilaterally annexed in 1980—as the capital of a future Palestinian state.
The United Nations Security Council has rejected Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem.
Given this complex status, almost all of Israel’s 96 diplomatic missions are based in Tel Aviv to avoid interfering in peace negotiations. Currently, only six countries—Guatemala, Honduras, Kosovo, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, and the United States—have embassies in West Jerusalem.
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