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Argentina / Israel. It is time for the second dose to guarantee confidence back between both countries

Agencia AJN.- Relations between the two countries were affected by Argentina’s position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Even the American Jewish establishment expressed its «disappointment» by what happened. However, various gestures from one side to the other could put the diplomatic link on track. And an unexpected event, such as Bennett’s election as Israeli Prime Minister, could change the landscape. In his last visit to Argentina, Bennett had affirmed that «both States are partners in pain» due to the terrorist attacks occurred in Argentina.

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WhatsApp Image 2021-06-11 at 2.21.46 PM
In the picture, from left to right: Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, Alberto Fernández, Naftalí Bennett, Benjamín Netanyahu and Isaac Herzog

Agencia AJN.- In an unexpected turn, Israeli politics will make a renewal of its main references. This Sunday Benjamin Netanyahu would leave power after 12 years and would be replaced by Naftalí Bennett, a man from the right-wing Yamina party, and by Yair Lapid, from the centrist Yesh Atid party. They would no longer be the same interlocutors swiveling around the well known history of the encounters and disagreements between Argentina and Israel, a saga that will need to be changed and improving the new chapters.

After the conflict between Israel and Hamas, the Jewish leadership and the State of Israel had to decode the new language of the Argentine government. There were signs that ended up being unexpected and overwhelming.

Does President Alberto Fernández speak the same language in public and in private? Does he have inalienable principles that can immediately vary? Does he say what each interlocutor wants to hear? Jewish leaders and Israeli diplomats ask themselves.

These and many other questions remained floating after the latest events, including Fernández’s meeting with DAIA authorities. Let us remember that the clash between Argentina and Israel was generated after a statement from the Argentine Foreign Ministry criticizing an alleged «disproportionate use of force by Israeli security units», and supported an United Nations Human Rights Council initiative to investigate alleged war crimes against Palestinians by Israel. Clearly, the Argentinian national government hardened its position by failing to censor terrorism and fundamentalist aggression on the barrage of attacks and thousands of bombings by Palestinian Hamas terrorists. On AMIA’s terrorist attack anniversary in 2019, Argentina classified Hezbollah as a terrorist organization and the State of Israel did not delay giving thanks and «congratulating» this important decision.

Upon leaving the Casa Rosada (Pink House – the Argentinian President’s Office), DAIA treasurer, Marcos Cohen, who participated in the meeting assured that «Fernández stated that he legitimized the terrorist organization Hamas», and Foreign Minister, Felipe Solá, clarified that he had “to point an error, which was that we did not expressly wrote Hamas group in the statement,» he said.

The Argentine ambassador to Israel, Sergio Urribarri, was summoned by the Israeli Foreign Ministry for a clarifying conversation as a result of Argentina’s vote in the Human Rights Council in favor of the creation of an investigative commission against Israel during the Middle East military operation. It was the deputy director general for Latin America and the Caribbean, Modi Ephraim, who clarified to the Argentine ambassador that “his country’s support (Argentina) for this biased resolution that ignores Hamas terrorism and the firing of 4,300 missiles against the citizens of Israel, it is something that Israel considers unacceptable”. At all times Sergio Urribarri had endeavored to enhance the prexistent excellent bilateral relations.

The Argentine reaction was immediate and a new statement from the Foreign Ministry in charge, Felipe Solá, within hours of the DAIAS’s meeting upheld the position once again of «guaranteeing respect for international human rights and international humanitarian law in the Territory Occupied Palestinian, including East Jerusalem, and in Israel”, adopted by the United Nations Human Rights Council in a special session on May 27, which led to the creation of an investigative commission againts Israel. In the midst of the disagreements, the staff of the Argentine embassy was being victim of hundreds of missiles that reached Tel Aviv.

The Jewish leadership wonders if this cadence of “Frente de Todos” (the Goverment party) finally is a continuation of the 2003-2015 administration, the same that held an unconstitutional Memorandum with Iran; the recognition of a non-existent Palestinian State, with the consequent exchange of ambassadors and the opening of diplomatic delegations; the feast of the Syrian dictator, Bashar al-Assad; the official trip to the Palestinian territories of the then senator Cristina Fernández after visiting Israel with former Foreign Minister Héctor Timerman; and the election of a Jew (Héctor Timerman) as consul in New York, ambassador in Washington and chancellor because he would speak «the same language» as the Jewish-American lobby.

Simultaneously, the chancellor alternately approached and distanced himself from the AMIA and the DAIA’s institutions, which sometimes generated internal disputes between them. Finally, Timerman ended up presenting his «unwavering» resignation as a member of the Jewish cummunity center in Buenos Aires basing his decision on the «certainty that both institutions, (AMIA and DAIA) with their obstructionist actions, continue to impede progress in the investigation of the criminal terrorist attack that occurred on July 18, 1994 ”.

On the latest facts about the conflict with Hamas, Israel perceives a lack of reliability in this complex diplomatic labyrinth. On the other hand, but in the same vein, the American Jewish establishment expressed its «disappointment» by what happened.

Dina Siegel Vann was sparing no words when expressing her «disappointment» with Argentina’s position on the conflict. “It bothered us,” she assured and described Alberto´s Fernández government as “irrational”.

Dina Siegel Vann, director of the American Jewish Committee, was the one who interviewed Fernández a year ago on the 26th anniversary AMIA’s terrorist attack, and today she is into the President of the House of Deputies visit, Sergio Massa, to the United States.

Massa’s agenda pivots between Washington and New York, and Vann confirmed meetings with Jewish leaders which were asked by Masa time before the blast between Israel and Hamas. «This makes it more relevant,» he said, and when asked about the Argentine´s position issue with Israel will be part of the AJC’s agenda with Massa, Siegel confirmed that «there will be a conversation on the subject», but stressed out that the spirit of the AJC it is always «building bridges.»

Everything was running on rails. President Alberto Fernández’s first trip abroad was to Israel, where he participated in an international mega-event for the Day of Remembrance of the Shoah Victims, on the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the Soviet Red Army at the Nazi extermination complex in Auschwitz-Birkenau. People in site were witnesses and agreed on a feeling generated by the relationship between Alberto Fernández and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

On that occasion, the Argentine president held an extensive and fruitful private meeting with the Hebrew Prime Minister.

Now, Naftalí Bennett shows up as the future Prime Minister of the State of Israel. He visited Argentina in March 2016 as the then Minister of Education and Diaspora Affairs, and participated on the 24th anniversary of Israel embassy´s terrorist attack, . During his brief visit, he assured that both States are partners in pain. “We do not forget the victims of the attack on the Israeli embassy and the AMIA, two attacks that were engraved in the memory of the Israeli and Argentine people, turning both States into partners in pain, where bystanders, Argentine citizens and neighbors lost their lives”, Bennett expressed.

Regarding Foreign Minister Felipe Solá, people remember and highlight his excellent links with the Jewish community when he was Buenos Aires province governor, he even attended during authorities changing in the AMIA’s institution when Abraham Kaul left the presidency in Pasteur, and he was able to do so, he was seen sitting in the auditorium stalls.

Roman Lejtman, in a recent article of his in the midst of the conflict referred to an expression of the Foreign Minister: “Gaza is similar to The Massacre, and the Jews are smarter and have more weapons than the Palestinians, that is why we believe that Israel’s attacks to Gaza are disproportionate”, said the Foreign Minister in Paris during the European tour he shared with Alberto Fernández.

Following those comments, Ambassador Galit Ronen hardened her position for the first time. «There are tensions with Argentina and the words of Felipe Solá were anti-Semitic» she said, and stated that she hopes «to be able to overcome the tense moment» in relationship with Argentina, but stressed that «Israel was waiting that a country that suffered bodily own two terrorist attacks be on the side of those who fight against terrorism”, referring to the UN country’s position.

Nobody is comfortable with what happened and the friendship between the two countries are being undertaken behind the scenes. In that sense, Galit Ronen related: “On June 4, I received from the Natio’s Presidency a congratulation letter about the president-elect of the State of Israel, Isaac Herzog, which I sent immediately to the Israeli Foreign Ministry and reached out to Herzog”.

Let us remember that in his first speech before the Legislative Assembly, on March 1st 2020, President Alberto Fernández mentioned Israel and expressed several concepts that were well received by the Jewish community, and there were also meetings and actions of a big exposure of different ministries and provinces with the Jewish State, especially by virtue of the great success it had in handling the new coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic.

In a quick reflection of Ambassador Serio Urribarri with the wink of Alberto Fernández, this allowed to work together with the Hadassah Medical Center in the reaching of concrete responses that would benefit Argentina in the work against the pandemic.

While diplomacy settled their differences over the Hamas conflict, Argentinian authorities received in Buenos Aires the visit of an important delegation from Haddasah Hospital Covid medical experts and the Biological Research Institute, and they shared their expertise on the pandemic management and evaluated the development of the Israeli BriLife vaccine in Argentina. Criticism of the Israelis people on social networks did not wait: «We are helping Argentina and we are outrageously watching now the position of the Foreign Ministry» before the UN decision.

Also the main Israeli NGO KKL reached agreements on water control projects and other initiatives with the help of Governor Juan Manzur in the provinces of Tucumán, Córdoba and Buenos Aires, while Ambassador Ronen carried out tree plantations in several municipalities as a sign of brotherhood between both countries.

In addition to the recent letter from President Fernández to his new partner Isaac Herzog, Ambassador Urribarri received at his residence the delegation of Hadassah doctors and health professionals who traveled to Argentina and talked about the commitments to the country, this Thursday night .

All the gestures on one side to the other will define the final destiny. It is time for a second dose, which once again guarantees confidence back between the two countries.

AJN News

Brazil. For the OAS, «it is not surprising that Hezbollah is in Venezuela, Nicaragua and with planes in Argentina»

After the Brazilian police arrested two people suspected of being linked to the terrorist group, Fernando Lottenberg told the AJN Agency that «Hezbollah’s cooperation with certain countries is intense, especially with Nicaragua and Venezuela», but stressed as «positive» that the security forces and the judiciary are «attentive».

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Miembros de Hezbollah sostienen banderas durante un mitin para conmemorar el Día de los Mártires de Hezbollah, en los suburbios del sur de Beirut, en noviembre de 2022 (Crédito de la foto: AZIZ TAHER/REUTERS)

Agencia AJN.- The Commissioner for Monitoring and Combating Anti-Semitism of the OAS, Fernando Lottenberg, held an interview with the AJN Agency after the Brazilian police arrested two people suspected of being linked to Hezbollah and considered that «it is surprising that it is in Brazil, but not surprising that it is in this region».

Furthermore, regarding the wave of anti-Semitism around the world, he stressed that «it is not only up to the Jewish community to fight it».

«We need and demand the support of government institutions, police and civil society so that Jewish lives are protected. I think this is the most serious moment we are living through since the end of the Second World War,» he said.

-What can you tell us about what we have heard in Brazil in the last few hours?

-What happened in the last 48 hours was the arrest of two people in Brazil, one in Sao Paulo and one in Belen do Para, who apparently are there on instructions and hired by Hezbollah, to carry out terrorist acts in Brazil against Jewish institutions. Not much is known at the moment, the investigation is taking place in secret. What we do know, point one, is that there is collaboration between Israeli and Brazilian authorities. Point two, in a statement that one of them gave to the Federal Police, he confirmed the connection with Hezbollah and now we are trying to understand this factor, in the light of what happened in Argentina for example in the 90s and whether or not it has a connection with what is happening in the Middle East today. If it could be an attempt to open other fronts, to try to hurt Jewish communities in other countries. I don’t want to jump to conclusions, because we don’t know everything at the moment. It’s a bit strange that this is happening. We never heard that there would be something prepared against the Brazilian Jewish community, but of course, from what we know, it can’t be ruled out. I think we have to follow the investigations, what comes out of the police and the judges, and when we have more information we will talk about it again.

-On a personal level, do you have an opinion on why it may come to this?

-I want to draw a positive consequence from this, because it is something that is normally approached from another angle. You always talk about the Triple Frontier and that they are out there and nobody is looking at them and they do what they want. And I say from my own experience, as a former community leader, that this is not the case. The police are vigilant. When I was in the presidency (Jewish community), this is public, I am not giving away a secret, just remembering, someone was arrested in Foz do Iguaçu who was looking for funds and financing for Hezbollah. With the cooperation of the three countries he was arrested, prosecuted and tried. If we have to look at a positive angle, they are attentive, they are cooperating with institutions in other countries. If you ask me why at this moment, I still don’t know what to say. When I took a position in CONIB (Brazilian Israelite Confederation), I warned about the need for an anti-terrorism law in Brazil. Because the law was a bit outdated, it was from the time of the military regime, and judges avoided applying it. There was some resistance, but in the end we have a law, which is not ideal, but it allows us to do what was done now, because there is legislation for this. At the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, a person connected to Hezbollah was also arrested, who called himself ISIS and in communications it was found that he would try to do something against Jews. What is important about this law is that it allows, among other things, telematic interception. Terrorism is a dangerous crime, which must be investigated while it is being prepared, because after it is done, there is not much else to do. And this is a small legal revolution that allowed this kind of dangerous crime to be sanctioned.

It’s good that the police are vigilant, it’s good that we have adequate laws and we hope that, if it is confirmed that this is what is being said so far, that they will have adequate punishment.

-Are we only talking about Brazil or when we talk about Mossad and other organizations, can we think that they are looking at the region as a whole? I say this because of what’s happening in Bolivia, because of Venezuela…

-I think so. What we see is that it is surprising that they are in Brazil, but not surprising that they are in this region. Because the cooperation they have with certain countries in our region is intense. Especially Venezuela and Nicaragua. They come and go with great ease, whether they are Hezbollah or Iran. I remember the plane in Argentina. Or the visit of Mohsen Rezai, a senior Iranian leader, who was at Daniel Ortega’s inauguration for the fourth time and was not bothered at all. He is on Interpol’s red alert and was there circulating freely, the Nicaraguan police did nothing, the Argentinean ambassador found him and did not denounce his presence. It seems to us that they have a base here and it could be, I don’t want to be irresponsible, that they are expanding their domain and actions.

-Let’s talk about anti-Semitism and this wave that we are seeing in the world as a result of what happened in Israel with Hamas. What is your view of this?

-What I see first of all is that there is a qualification to be made. And I give him credit, because it is a formulation by Professor Carlos Rey of the Holocaust Museum in Curitiba, Brazil. He says you shouldn’t think of these things in terms of causality, of cause and effect. «What they do there increases anti-Semitism’, no. Anti-Semitism is already there. Anti-Semitism is already there. What happens is that this kind of situation allows them to take to the streets, to the networks, to say absurd things or to take decisions for violent acts, using what is happening in the Middle East as a pretext. I think this is important to say.

Then, we are seeing in the region, in Brazil CONIB detected an increase of almost 1000% compared to last year. In the UK, 600%; in France, 400%. We have to be concerned and we have to look for measures so that the security of Jewish communities is guaranteed. Yesterday I was in Montevideo for the commemoration of 85 years of the Kristallnacht or, as it is called today in Germany, the November pogrom, and in the speeches I gave I emphasized this. Because it is without doubt the most serious moment we are living through. Schools in France had to be closed, people are afraid in American universities to wear Stars of David, kippah or other symbols. It is not up to the Jewish community alone to fight it. We need and demand the support of governmental institutions, police, civil society and others, so that Jewish lives are protected. I believe that this is the most serious moment we are living through since the end of the Second World War. I don’t want to raise unfounded alarms, but it is important for people to be clear that the ill will, the hatred, the harshest prejudice against Jews is out there and we have to be vigilant.

-How does the OAS view this phenomenon?

-With concern. The creation of the function of Commissioner for Combating Anti-Semitism shows the interest and concern of the General Secretariat and the member states to be attentive to the issue. The secretary was already in the first days very firm in demanding the release of the hostages, of what happened on 7 October, and I think we have to try to keep Latin America and the Americas in general as safe as possible, as open as it has always been to minorities, and that Jews should not be the scapegoat once again.

-What is the message to the political leaders of the countries of the region?

-We special envoys met in Paris a fortnight ago. It was a meeting that was marked, but with the events, our main focus became their consequences in terms of what can happen to Jewish communities. We called on governments to assess the needs, to establish the security that Jewish communities need. We call on the police, law enforcement authorities, to be vigilant of threats to Jews. Be aware that Jews around the world cannot be held responsible for what happens in the Middle East. It is very important to make this distinction. We have seen with concern how some leaders in our region were looking for collective responsibility and this does not happen with other communities. It is only with the Jews and it is very serious. We cannot accept it. And the words of political leaders at this time matter a lot. So to talk about genocide, to talk about massacre, to talk about ethnic cleansing, which is not happening there, brings on the Jews an additional burden.

-This goes against the grain of what we see in Honduras, in Chile, in different countries that are going against this in the decisions they are taking with the State of Israel.

-That’s why we wrote this warning and sent it.

-In Argentina, there have been two attacks, the death of a prosecutor, Iranian planes circling overhead, is the region looking for any kind of misfortune that could happen?

-No doubt, and the communities are prepared. We have contacts. I am in Uruguay today, but I am always in contact with Chile, with Colombia, with various community organisations in our region. They are very well prepared and alert and in contact with the security forces to prevent anything more serious from happening. We are also in the political sphere acting with the other commissioners. Argentina has a commissioner, María Fabiana Loguzzo, who was in Paris, making this line of contact and transmission with authorities and civil society so that the issue gains the dimension and concern that it should have.

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AJN News

Javier Milei, the candidate who wants to take over Judaism?

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WhatsApp Image 2023-08-18 at 8.38.16 AM

By Daniel Berliner*

Much has been heard from Javier Milei about his relationship with Judaism, his classes and weekly Torah study, his decision to convert and the transfer of the Argentine embassy to Jerusalem.

At this time, the Argentine community leadership is extremely concerned about the candidate’s public use of Judaism, an annoyance that is added to his position against declaring 18 July a ‘National Day of Mourning’ in homage to the victims of the AMIA bombing, which goes against the grain of his supposedly great love.

Milei does not miss an opportunity to talk about his rabbi, the rabbi of the Moroccan community, who quickly had to recalculate to lower his exposure given that Sephardic communities tend to stay away from politics, unlike the Ashkenasim who do. This would mean that any activity outside of his rabbinic status would force him to resign so that he could work politically with Milei.

Clearly all of Milei’s senses were activated as he perceived that Judaism hides a «Divine» engineering, the one offered by the holy books, the kabbalists and the scholars of all ages, from Moses onwards with the giving of the 10 commandments for all mankind at Mount Sinai.

Milei perceived all this and plunged into a world he believes he can own, by the mere fact of a weekly Torah study, his possible conversion, a closing campaign with a great Shofar and a particular trip to the grave (ohel) of the Chabad Lubavitch rebbe in Brooklyn.

None of this will magically make him Jewish.

This Tuesday, in an interview with journalist Jonatan Viale, Milei failed to say «I have a Jewish friend» to the journalist’s question: Why are you compared so much to Hitler? The «Jewish friend’s» answer was not long in coming: «Maybe I’m doing something wrong, then. I don’t go to church, I go to temple, I don’t talk to priests, I have a head rabbi and I study the Torah. I am internationally recognized as a friend of Israel and a Torah scholar. I am close to being a Jew, I just need the blood covenant.

Regarding Israel, I am sure that he will be officially received by the Jewish State in due course, as was the case with Eduardo «Wado» de Pedro, Juan Manzur, Patricia Bullrich, Horacio Rodríguez Larreta and Alberto Fernández.

With regard to the announcement of the transfer of the Argentine embassy to Jerusalem, Israel would welcome this initiative, as it has done with the various countries that have already moved their embassies.

Perhaps all this does not work as you suppose, as in your world, where everything can be bought. Judaism and the love for it is not so within your reach despite your efforts and your gifted instinct for orientation in wanting to embrace it. None of this will become an acquired right. The road to conversion is a long one and the Jewish people embrace all those who wish to do so, but with modesty and humility.

Our teachers, rabbis and kabbalists have in their DNA centuries of wisdom passed down for thousands of years from generation to generation.

The Torah, the Talmud, the Gemara are the books that hide those answers that our teachers teach us with infinite wisdom. Love of neighbour, deep humility and modesty are the true essence of Judaism. That is why acts of faith are performed in private, in reserve, without the need to declaim them and expose them as you do whenever possible. That is not part of Judaism.

Returning to Viale, it was striking to see during the whole programme, next to his computer, a kippah, which Milei had asked him to wear months ago. The programme was ending and he was leaving without the «gift» he had come for, so at the last second of air time he said to the journalist, «Weren’t you going to give me something?»

«I keep my promise,» Viale replied, and quickly perceived not to do so publicly knowing that it could lend itself to Milei continuing to add gallons to achieve the symbolisms that would allow him to further validate his Judaism. Viale then informed him that he would do so privately. Faced with the host’s position, the candidate publicly blurted out, «Actually, that’s why I came here».

In the DNA of the Jewish people, freedom is a primary good. In the people of the book, diversity of thought, of adherence and dissent are reasons to celebrate, never to condemn. In Judaism, freedom advances, advances in embracing the one who does not think alike, because that distinction and respect has driven us to condemn hegemonic thinking that has devastated life on so many occasions.

A few months ago, former President Trump reproached American Jews for not having sufficiently «appreciated» the policies towards Israel that he adopted during his term in office and warned them that they must «get their act together» before «it’s too late».

Trump took on some of the most pro-Israel US policies of recent decades and also made nods to American white supremacism, which has anti-Semitic overtones.

*Director of itongadol and AJN Agency

 

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