GAZA STRIP: Hamas on Tuesday said it “strongly condemns” Argentinian President Javier Milei after he announced plans to move his country’s embassy to Jerusalem.

Hamas said it viewed the move “an infringement of the rights of our Palestinian people to their land, and a violation of the rules of international law, considering Jerusalem as occupied Palestinian land”.

Argentina would become one of only a handful of countries to have its main diplomatic mission in Jerusalem, rather than Tel Aviv.

The United States made the move in 2018 under the presidency of Donald Trump after he recognised the city as Israel’s capital.

The United Nations in 1947 envisaged a special international status for Jerusalem given its importance for Jews, Christians and Muslims. But the city was left divided after the war that followed Israel’s declaration of independence in 1948.

Israel seized east Jerusalem from Jordan during the Six-Day War of June 1967, and later annexed it, and regards the entire city as its indivisible capital.

Jerusalem has been under Israeli authority ever since but Palestinians claim the eastern part as the capital for their hoped-for future state.

Milei had barely set foot on the tarmac at Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv when he told Israel’s awaiting Foreign Minister Israel Katz: “My plan is to move the embassy to west Jerusalem.”

Milei feted and criticised

Milei, the libertarian economist often compared to Trump, has repeatedly signalled his intention to follow suit. Before leaving Buenos Aires, he said Israel was a natural major ally for Argentina on a par with the United States.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu applauded Argentina’s move, while extreme-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said it was recognition of Jerusalem as “our eternal capital”.

“The prime minister spoke about this with President Milei after his election, and welcomes the fact that the president has kept his promise,” a statement from his office read. Right-winger Netanyahu and Milei are scheduled to meet for talks on Wednesday, with the aim of deepening ties between the two countries.

After his arrival, Milei headed to the Western Wall in east Jerusalem. He looked visibly moved, with reddened eyes, as he approached the wall and spent several minutes with his forehead touching the stones, his arms outstretched.

Milei, known for his fiery speeches and rock-star sideburns, describes himself as a “anarcho-capitalist”. He was raised in a Catholic family but has studied Jewish scripture.

After his election win in November, he visited the tomb of a revered rabbi in New York — a popular spiritual destination for some Jews. Argentina’s Jewish community is 250,000 strong and one of the largest in Latin America.

Published in Dawn, February 7th, 2024