MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Team Falklands and President Milei eclectic foreign policy

President Milei with his close friend/mentor and ambassador in Israel, Axel Wahnish during a visit to the Whaling Wall in Jerusalem .

Team Falklands, which recently visited the Caribbean, United States, and United Nations in New York and Canada felt they came across a new attitude towards peoples' right to self-determination, mostly privately, which anyhow did not prevent overwhelming support for Argentina's colonial claim over the Falkland Islands at the C24 meeting, or a repeat of such situation at the Organization of American States, OAS, annual assembly, held in Paraguay.

This despite the fact that many of the 29 members of C24 do not abide with the principles of the UN Charter, particularly when it comes to human rights and the rights of peoples. But things could be changing after all, given the eclectic foreign policy the ultra liberal Argentine president Javier Mile is committed to enforce, a clear, undisputed alignment with the United States and Israel, and openly condemning those countries and leaders which he openly accuses of being “communists” or following Socialist economic policies, which give priority to governments possessiveness at the expense of individual liberties.

This has caused the Argentine opposition to take advantage of Milei's extreme positions such as calling the Pope “the incarnation of evil in the Earth”, or defining Brazilian president Lula da Silva as a communist and a thief, given his long term incarceration, or using similar language when it comes to refer to China, which together with Brazil happen to be Argentina's main trade partners, and in the case of Beijing has also granted the Argentine Central Bank a standoff loan equivalent to several billion dollars which is critical for the bank's balance sheet. Not to mention the exchange of insults with the Spanish Socialist president and with the several Caribbean dictatorships Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela, and the worst of all sins, moving the Argentine embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, in consonance with the most radical of Israel's extreme right coalition.

Not to mention that all the above mentioned contacts were considered by the previous Kirchner governments as evidence of Argentina's multilateralism, its commitment to combat global poverty and colonialism, with the help of C24 dictatorships and the double game of listening to the complaints of the Jewish community in Argentina, while establishing close surreptitious links with Teheran and the notorious Iranian support of international terrorism, sponsoring conflicts to dump the Israeli people to the Mediterranean.

But in effect as Tierra del Fuego Senator Cristina López pointed out the decision to move the Argentine embassy to Jerusalem “will have a direct impact on our claim over the Malvinas Islands” because of the international repercussions. K Senator Lopez also abstained from supporting the next Argentine ambassador to Israel, Axel Wahnish. Born in Buenos Aires, Wahnish is a rabbi, at some moment head of the Jewish Study Center, who met Milei back in 2021, and helped the future president out of a difficult moment he was going through and has since considered him, together with his sister Karina Milei, the most important persons of his life. Wahnish is also helping Milei learn about the sacred Jewish Torah and together they visited the Western or Walling Wall in Old Jerusalem.

Milei has repeatedly mentioned he wants to move the Argentine embassy from Tel Aviv to occupied Jerusalem, “without taking into account that such a decision will have a negative impact on our claim over the Malvinas Islands; it's a whim of Milei and his foreign minister, who also supports what no other foreign minister in the world would dare to do,” insisted Senator Lopez. “This is contrary to the Argentine position of territorial integrity of the Malvinas and South Atlantic Islands, and would also endanger the support of our historic allies to our claim in international bodies and forums”.

“Milei's stance is contrary to international relations which rule global geopolitics since 190 countries, members of UN, do not recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, with only the United States, Guatemala, Honduras and Papua Guinea with embassies in the holy city for three religions”.

Summing up, what Senator Cristina Lopez is arguing is that with Russia and China supporting Argentina's colonial claim over the Falklands, the dictatorships from the Caribbean (Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela) plus the failed states and the anti Israel lobby could very well end not backing Argentina's position if the Milei administration becomes so identified with Israel, and distant from Palestine and the numerous communities of that origin in South American countries.

However any change of location for the Argentine embassy in Israel or any other country needs congressional approval, which could be a difficult path given the insignificant number of lawmakers that Milei's party has, or can count with, in such a sensitive issue.

Likewise the Argentine foreign minister Diana Mondino managed an approach of Milei with the Pope, informing him of how the different K groupings and their alleged Soup Kitchens to feed the poor mainly in Buenos Aires province, squandered or simply pocketed the millions of dollars which government handed out. The Pope was most grateful for the information, adding some expletive comments towards those involved in the scam.

Besides, regarding China, Mondino managed to organize a Milei trip to “communist” Beijing and to continue with support for the Argentine central bank. And with Brazil and Lula who demands an apology, not for having been called a “Socialist,” but a “thief”, the two leaders are scheduled to meet in Paraguay for the Mercosur summit when Uruguay takes over the rotating chair. Any rapprochement would come as a surprise, but miracles in politics can happen.

So in effect next year's circumstances in New York could turn out more favorable for the Falklands Team.