By: Fern Sidman – Jewish Voice News

In a development that underscores the rapid deepening of ties between Jerusalem and Buenos Aires, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar announced on Tuesday that Argentina is expected to open its embassy in Jerusalem as early as next year—a full year ahead of the timeline initially suggested by Argentine President Javier Milei. Speaking at the Israel-Argentina Business Forum in Buenos Aires, Saar characterized the impending decision as a diplomatic milestone that reflects “the extraordinary bilateral relations” between the two countries. As reported on Wednesday by The Algemeiner, the Israeli government views Milei as one of its most steadfast and ideologically aligned partners on the global stage.

“We hope to have the president in April or May to open Argentina’s embassy in Jerusalem, DC—David’s Capital,” Saar said, invoking a phrase increasingly used by Israeli officials to emphasize the ancient Jewish connection to the city. The statement signaled not only a fast-tracked diplomatic commitment but also a bold political message: Argentina under Milei is positioning itself among Israel’s closest allies at a moment of global uncertainty and rising geopolitical polarization.

Ever since Javier Milei assumed office in December 2023, he has charted an assertively pro-Israel foreign policy. During his first state visit to Israel earlier this year, Milei announced that he intended to relocate Argentina’s embassy to Jerusalem by 2026. Now, as The Algemeiner report indicated, the timeline has accelerated dramatically. The embassy move would make Argentina one of the few nations—and the first major Latin American country—willing to take the historic step of recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s undivided capital, following the United States, Guatemala, Honduras, and Paraguay.

Saar, for his part, left little ambiguity about Israel’s view of Argentina’s leader. “The president of Argentina is one of the world’s boldest and most impressive leaders,” he declared, adding that meeting Milei in Buenos Aires and discussing bilateral ties was an “honor.” On social media, the Israeli foreign minister praised the Argentine leader’s economic reforms and framed Israel’s expanding economic partnership as a vote of confidence in Milei’s agenda.

The Algemeiner report highlighted that the alignment between the two governments is not merely rhetorical. Milei has broken sharply with Argentina’s previous foreign policy posture, which often tilted toward ambivalence on Israel’s security challenges. Under his leadership, Argentina has emerged as one of the most vocal defenders of Israel in international forums, repeatedly siding with Jerusalem at the United Nations and adopting positions that many Western nations have hesitated to embrace.

A central component of Saar’s diplomatic mission was the announcement that Israel will open an Economic Attaché Office in Buenos Aires next year. According to the information provided in The Algemeiner report, Israeli officials view the office as a crucial mechanism for dramatically expanding economic ties, facilitating investment, and deepening business-to-business cooperation across emerging sectors.

Saar’s delegation—composed of senior government representatives, business leaders, and economic strategists—arrived with the explicit intention of building structural economic bridges between the two nations. “The economic delegation accompanying me today is an expression of our belief in the president’s bold economic reforms,” Saar said, adding that Israel sees substantial growth potential in Argentina’s liberalized markets.

The initiative reflects a broader pattern in Israeli diplomacy: leveraging growing geopolitical partnerships to catalyze economic expansion. For Argentina, the deepened cooperation could offer access to Israeli expertise in defense technology, agriculture, water management, cybersecurity, and medical innovation—areas where Israel is widely considered a global leader.

Beyond economic partnership, the meetings between Saar and senior Argentine officials underscored a growing convergence on security matters. The Israeli foreign minister met with Argentina’s Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno, who will visit Israel in February, and with Defense Minister Luis Petri to discuss enhanced cooperation.

As The Algemeiner report noted, Saar publicly thanked Argentinian leaders for their decisive stance on global terrorism. Under Milei’s administration, Argentina has now designated both Hamas and Hezbollah—along with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)—as terrorist organizations. Previous Argentine governments had only proscribed the military wings of Hamas and Hezbollah.

“We appreciate the minister’s friendship and his crucial role in Argentina’s designation of Hamas and Hezbollah as terror organizations,” Saar said in a message posted on X. “Argentina, under President Milei’s leadership, is clearly on the right path.”

This development is highly significant for Israel. Argentina, home to Latin America’s largest Jewish community, has long grappled with the consequences of Iranian-backed terrorism, including two of the deadliest anti-Jewish attacks in the country’s history: the 1992 bombing of the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires and the 1994 AMIA Jewish community center bombing, which killed 85 people. Iran and Hezbollah have been widely implicated in both operations.

Saar was scheduled to participate in memorial ceremonies for both attacks—a symbolic gesture reinforcing not only Israel’s shared mourning but also a shared commitment to combating the forces that perpetrated them.

The diplomatic warmth is being followed closely by Argentina’s Jewish community, which numbers approximately 180,000—the sixth-largest Jewish community in the world. According to the information contained in The Algemeiner report, Jewish leaders in Argentina have welcomed Milei’s policies as a sharp and reassuring departure from the sometimes ambivalent or equivocal positions of previous administrations.

Milei has repeatedly expressed admiration for Israel, Judaism, and even aspects of Jewish spiritual tradition. His decision to strengthen diplomatic ties — including the embassy relocation — resonates deeply in a community that has endured terrorism, persistent antisemitism, and political volatility. Meanwhile, Israel’s decision to open an Economic Attaché Office in Buenos Aires is seen as a vote of confidence in both Milei’s leadership and the long-standing bonds between Argentine Jews and the State of Israel.

The upcoming 90th anniversary celebration of the Delegation of Argentine Israelite Associations (DAIA), where Saar is scheduled to speak, will likely serve as a symbolic reinforcement of these revived ties.

Saar’s regional diplomatic effort did not begin in Buenos Aires. Earlier in the week, he launched his South American tour in Paraguay, a country whose foreign policy has increasingly mirrored Israel-aligned positions under President Santiago Peña.

As reported by The Algemeiner, Saar signed a new memorandum on security cooperation during his visit to Asunción and met with President Peña, whom he praised as “one of the most impressive leaders on the international stage today.”

Saar also lauded Paraguay for fulfilling the promise—initiated under a previous administration—to relocate its own embassy to Jerusalem, thus joining the small but symbolically powerful cohort of nations that recognize Israel’s capital.

Moreover, Paraguay expanded its terrorist designations this year to include Iran’s IRGC and the political leadership of Hamas and Hezbollah. This move reflects Israel’s insistence that South American governments confront the growing presence of Iranian and Hezbollah operatives in the region, particularly in the Tri-Border Area (TBA), long considered a hotspot for illicit financing and terrorism logistics.

The developments reported by The Algemeiner indicate that Israel is experiencing a rare diplomatic upswing across parts of Latin America — a region where political currents often shift dramatically between left-wing and right-wing governments.

Argentina under Milei and Paraguay under Peña have emerged as two of Israel’s strongest hemispheric partners. Both nations have embraced policies that align with Israel’s security imperatives, support its diplomatic positions, and deepen economic and technological ties.

Israel, in turn, is investing political capital and economic resources in these partnerships, treating them as long-term strategic alliances rather than transactional relationships.

If President Milei proceeds with the embassy move next year, the decision will not only affirm Argentina’s new foreign policy identity but also send a powerful message globally. In a world increasingly divided over the legitimacy of Israel’s sovereignty in Jerusalem, Argentina’s move would be a repudiation of diplomatic timidity and an embrace of historical reality.

For Israel, the step would mark the culmination of a historic rapprochement with a nation that experienced decades of oscillation in its Middle Eastern policy. For the Jewish diaspora in Argentina, it would represent a reaffirmation of safety, solidarity, and shared destiny.

The strong personal rapport between Gideon Saar and Javier Milei, combined with a mutual commitment to economic renewal, democratic resilience, and the fight against global terrorism, is reshaping the diplomatic architecture of the South American continent.

Should the embassy doors open in Jerusalem next spring, it will symbolize not merely a relocation of diplomatic offices but the inauguration of a profound, ideologically anchored partnership—one poised to influence regional geopolitics for decades to come.