AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Valery Bort, a Russian writer, believes that Israel's loss of many allies following the Gaza war has forced the regime to seek new partners, including Argentina, because for Tel Aviv, almost only one reliable partner remains: the United States.
In an article on the website of the Russian "Strategic Culture Foundation," the writer points out that Javier Milei, the President of Argentina, who considers himself the most Zionist president in the world and has repeatedly expressed his fascination with Israel and his joy at returning to the Promised Land, had announced even before settling into the presidential palace in Buenos Aires that the priority of his foreign policy would be alliance with Israel.
Strong Support for Israel
Bort explains that as soon as Milei won the election, his government immediately took action, placing the Islamic Resistance Movement of Palestine (Hamas) on its list of terrorist organizations, opposing Palestinian membership in the United Nations, and emphasizing its intention to move the Argentine embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Furthermore, the Argentine government announced its strong opposition to the International Criminal Court's decision to issue an arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It also recently placed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran on its list of terrorist organizations.
During his recent trip to Israel, Milei once again confirmed his support for the joint U.S.-Israeli attacks against Iran.
The Isaac Agreement
According to the writer, the main goal of Milei's trip to Israel was to sign the "Isaac Agreement" between Argentina and Israel—an agreement that emphasizes cooperation between Israel and the countries of the Western Hemisphere in economic, security, technological, and other fields.
He believes that if this agreement materializes, the Latin American region will become one of the main axes of Israel's foreign policy, especially as countries such as Uruguay, Panama, and Costa Rica are expected to join this agreement in 2026.
However, Bort believes that various factors may hinder the realization of these plans, including Israel's provocative policies, which could discourage other countries from joining the agreement.
A Long History of Cooperation
The writer also points to the long history of cooperation between Israel and Argentina. According to classified documents released by the British Foreign Office in 2016, Israel secretly sold arms to Buenos Aires during the 1982 war between Argentina and Britain over the Falkland Islands, including radar early warning systems, air-to-air missiles, and fuel tanks for fighter-bombers.
It is also mentioned that Skyhawk attack aircraft received by Israel from the United States were used against British naval vessels, and the bombs from these aircraft targeted several Royal Navy ships, sinking the destroyer HMS Coventry.
Powerful Jewish Lobby in Argentina
Bort further writes that the influence of the powerful Jewish lobby in Argentina has played a significant role in strengthening Israel's presence in the country.
Among the figures of this lobby are Darío Epstein, economic advisor to the Argentine president; Gerardo Werthein, former foreign minister and businessman; Eduardo Elsztain, a wealthy Argentine businessman and financial backer of Milei's campaign; and Shimon Axel Wahnish, an Orthodox rabbi and Argentine ambassador to Israel.
However, the writer warns that alongside the good relations between Israel and the large Jewish community in Argentina, the phenomenon of anti-Semitism, which grew during the presidency of the Hitler-leaning Juan Perón, remains deeply rooted.
He concludes by writing that statistics currently indicate an increase in anti-Semitic incidents in Argentina, and if this trend continues, it may become an obstacle to the development of relations between Buenos Aires and Tel Aviv in the future.
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