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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.

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Argentina. Milei reflected on the Torah: «Those who play in all directions are the worst»

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hace 7 meses

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29 noviembre, 2024

Por

Milei Kotel

Agencia AJN.- Argentinian President, Javier Milei, once again resorted to the Torah, the sacred book of Judaism, to make a «reflection», such is the title of a post on his personal profile on the social network X that alludes to the political situation in his country, although in general terms.

On this occasion he referred to the current parashah (weekly reading portion of the Torah), Toldot, corresponding to the Book of Breishit (Genesis), which extends from perek (chapter) 25 and pasuk (verse) 19 to 28:9.

«The parasha says that Rivka, the wife of Yitzchak (Rebekah and Isaac), was worried when she was pregnant, because when she passed by a place of sanctity she felt that her son wanted to go there and when she passed by an impure place, too. And she was worried. and she went to consult with a prophet. The prophet answered her: you have two sons in your womb. One will be a leader of the people of Israel (Yaakov, Jacob) and another Esav who will be very evil, and will want to harm Yaakov and his offspring. And then she calmed down,» said the South American president.

«The question: does Rivka calm down after she is sure that she has a completely evil son, and before when she thought she had only one son she didn’t know what he would be like she was very disturbed?,” he asked.

«The answer: Rivka, when she thought that she had a single son, that he was LUKE without ideology and played for both sides, that worried her a lot. But then she found out that she has two, and it is clear that one plays for one side and the other completely the other way around, she calmed down,» Milei answered.

«Moral: Those who play for all sides are the worst of all, even much worse than the one who is completely evil. Because the one who is evil and shows himself as such, we have identified him. On the other hand, the other behaves like a good person and we never know what his attitudes and his evil intentions are,» he concluded, before saying goodbye with a «SHABAT SHALOM.»

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Argentina | Holocaust and Heroism Day. President Milei’s major speech against anti-Semitism and terrorism

»Therefore, in keeping with our history and with what we consider to be true, we ratify today our spirit of friendship and collaboration with the State of Israel and we offer Argentina’s candidacy for the International Presidency of the IHRA», expressed Milei.

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hace 1 año

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9 mayo, 2024

Por

portada milei

Agencia AJN.- At an event organised on Wednesday by the Delegation of Argentinean Israelite Associations (DAIA) and the Holocaust Museum of Buenos Aires to commemorate Holocaust and Heroism Day, the 81st anniversary of the Warsaw ghetto uprising, President Javier Milei announced ‘Argentina’s candidacy for the presidency of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’ (IHRA).

The IHRA is an intergovernmental organisation of 35 states whose aim is to combat acts of anti-Semitism, intolerance and discrimination that can lead to genocides such as those experienced by humanity in the 20th century.

The main event was also attended by Nazi survivors, relatives of people kidnapped by Hamas, national, provincial and municipal authorities, judges, political leaders, diplomats, representatives of different religious denominations, community leaders, among others.

President Milei’s full speech:

At the outset, I would like to pay tribute to Lior Rudaeff, an Argentinean living in Israel who was kidnapped and murdered by the Hamas terrorist organisation on 7 October.  I would like to extend my sincere condolences to his family and loved ones, and call for the return of his body so that he can be given a proper farewell by them. Baruch Dayan Haemet to him and to all the victims of Islamic terrorism in Argentina and the world.

Today more than ever there can be no doubt that the scourge of Islamic terrorism on Israel and the Jewish people is not a problem alien to us Argentines, but one that affects us directly. First, because 21 Argentines were murdered by Hamas on that tragic day, 20 more Argentines were kidnapped and today, seven months after the attack, there are at least eight compatriots for whom we still do not know whether they are still among us or whether they have passed on to another life. Secondly, because when a battle is fought between good and evil, between freedom and oppression, between civilisation and barbarism, taking sides is not one option among others but a moral obligation.

Today we are here to remember perhaps the greatest tragedy in the history of mankind, we are doing so under the name of Holocaust and Heroism Day, and I would like to pause to discuss with you this second concept, heroism. Because I believe that the heroism and virtue of men is the flip side of tragedy, it is the only thing that can make the righteous prevail over those who seek to oppress them and rob them of their freedom. And because I believe that in times of darkness, when speaking out is costly and when the majority prefer to turn their backs on righteousness for their own convenience, promoting virtue is a commandment and a duty.

We remember today the Jewish resistance in the Warsaw ghetto, where 300,000 souls were imprisoned in inhumane conditions for three years by the Nazi regime, only to be transferred to extermination camps as we all know. We remember that one day in 1943 the prisoners took what few weapons there were and put up a fight. For 27 days they fought for their freedom, under unequal conditions and with virtually no chance of success. They fought for their freedom, which is a just cause in every time and place, and they chose to die fighting rather than be killed.

adentro milei

The struggle for freedom against adversaries always more powerful than themselves has been a constant in the history of the Jewish people, and has forged for them a heroic spirit, a warrior spirit. This is already clear in the sacred scriptures, it is seen in the exodus of the Jewish people from Egypt, escaping from the yoke of Pharaoh, leaving behind slavery to embrace freedom. The revolt of the Maccabees is clear when, despite being in a distinct minority, the least against the most, the weak against the powerful, they drove out the Greek invader and recaptured Jerusalem. It was never the number of soldiers that mattered, but the forces that came from heaven.

Fighting battle upon battle for over 4,000 years, though many were lost and though the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed twice, the Jewish people persisted. And today again, being under threat, surrounded by enemies who pursue a goal akin to the goal of those who imprisoned more than 300,000 souls in the ghetto 80 years ago, because the intention of Hamas on 7 October was the same as that of the Nazis, to directly and deliberately murder innocent people, if they did not do it on a larger scale, it was not because they did not want to but because they could not.

Today, we see in parallel to these sad events a recognition in the world of both intolerant Islamic fanaticism and anti-Semitism in its different versions. And to make matters worse, we see how all these phenomena are not perceived by the free world with the sharp condemnation and firm action they demand, but with discomfort and ambiguous gestures. I look around me at the rest of the leaders of the free world, especially the leaders of the great nations that should be the pillars of global freedom, and I see indifference in some and fear in others to stand on the side of truth.

Today the world is silent while there are still more than 100 hostages suffering, eight of whom are fellow Argentines. Not to mention the blatant anti-Semitism that has become commonplace on the campuses of educational institutions entrusted with the professional and human training of the West’s elites. I believe that the heroism we talk so much about and want to promote is also to defend the truth, to speak the truth when around us the truth is silenced.

That is why when the world is silent, we have an obligation to speak out, because it is the silence of the good that allows the barbarity of the bad, and because speaking out, looking straight and not turning a blind eye, even though it is difficult, even though for many it is inconvenient, is the only way to ensure that the Shoah is not repeated.

And because God will not accept justifications or exculpations when it comes to rendering his ultimate judgement, we will not be able to tell him what, but I could not or what virtue was not convenient at the time, he will not judge us for what we thought, believed or wanted, but for having done the right thing in life. That is why today remembering the Shoah, remembering heroism and denouncing Islamic terrorism is an obligation, because without heroes we are defenceless in the face of an ever darker and longer night.

In closing I would like to thank Marcelo Mindlin, Jorge Knoblovits and the rest of the authorities of the DAIA and the Holocaust Museum for organising and inviting me to be part of this commemoration at such a difficult time for the Jewish people that demands that we all work back-to-back.

I also want to tell you that Argentina is a historic friend of the Jewish people. We were the first country in the region to recognise the existence of the State of Israel and today we proudly have the largest Jewish community in Latin America and the tenth largest in the world. Together with the Jewish community, we have suffered the cowardly attacks by the Iranian government, not only on the Jewish-Argentine community, but on the Argentinean people as a whole, which, thanks to the persistent efforts of those who seek the truth, are now, three decades later, beginning to be clarified.

Therefore, in keeping with our history and with what we consider to be true, we ratify today our spirit of friendship and collaboration with the State of Israel and we offer Argentina’s candidacy for the International Presidency of the IHRA (video), an institution whose value takes on new relevance and urgency every day, at a dark time, when the rest of the world is turning its back on Israel, they will find us at their firm side always.

Finally, and lastly, I would like to conclude with a letter from Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, which seems to me to be very pertinent to the times we are living in and which should be present in our lives every day. This letter says: ‘Those who are convinced that their opinions are true and correct must express them constantly and at every opportunity with candour, and without regard to the degree of support they have and the level of opposition they will encounter. Lies need supporters to succeed; lies need the authority of majorities to fill what they lack in the rightness of their argument. Truth, on the other hand, will always win out in the end. Even if it takes time, noble, courageous and pure, expressed with all the ardour of conviction and with all the clarity of a sure conscience, expressed again and again on every occasion, it will eventually win the respect and esteem of even those who refuse to accept it. The only truth that has been lost without the possibility of regaining it is that whose possessors have not the courage to speak frankly of it. Truth was never defeated by the forces of resistance, it was only defeated when its possessors were too weak to defend it’.

Thank you very much.

 

 

 

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