MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Milei regrets ICC's measure against Netanyahu

Israel has an ally in Argentina, insisted Milei

Argentine President Javier Milei Thursday expressed his “profound disagreement” with the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. In the Libertarian leader's view, the ruling “distorts the spirit of international justice.”

 “Israel is facing brutal aggression, an inhuman hostage-taking, and the indiscriminate launching of attacks against its population. Criminalizing the legitimate defense of a nation while omitting these atrocities is an act that distorts the spirit of international justice,” Milei added on social media.

“Argentina stands in solidarity with Israel, reaffirms its right to protect its people, and demands the immediate release of all hostages. We call on the international community to condemn the actions of Hamas and Hezbollah, to defend Israel's sovereignty, and to act justly and impartially in the search for a lasting peace in the region,” he went on.

Hours later, the Office of the Argentine President released a statement claiming that ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan still owed “a resolution against the Communist dictator Nicolás Maduro for his crimes against humanity.”

Since Milei took office, Argentina has consistently stood with Israel on every diplomatic front by voting against a United Nations (UN) resolution promoted by Palestine to condemn Tel Aviv's actions and rejecting a UN draft resolution recommending the incorporation of the Middle East into the list of nuclear-weapon-free zones, among other gestures.

Also Thursday, Milei announced that Argentina was moving toward a “historic memorandum with Israel,” which has “an ally here” to defend freedom and democracy from “terrorism and dictatorships.” He insisted that Israel and the United States were “our most important political partners.”

Milei also recalled that while Argentina's former Kirchnerite administration signed “a memorandum with Iran, we are making one with Israel.”

“They signed spurious pacts of silence and complicity in crime. We sanctioned alliances with our fellow men in defense of justice and freedom,” he underlined.

He also wished this alliance with Israel would become “a model for other nations of the free world to also choose life and freedom, firmly and openly condemning terrorism.”

The terrorist group Hamas “still cowardly and unjustly” has “101 innocent civilian hostages, among whom there are eight Argentine compatriots,” Milei also pointed out. “We demand their immediate and unconditional release.”

For Milei, Israel “is a great source of inspiration because it is not like any other country; it is a people that has made wealth out of scarcity” who “literally managed to make water out of stones in the middle of the desert,” he told the Argentine-Israeli Chamber of Commerce where he was granted the “Israel Leadership Award” which represented “a real pride for me.”

“I believe that at this point we have already demonstrated not only the natural affinity that this Government has with the people of Israel but also the unwavering conviction to accompany, assist and work together with the State of Israel, wherever we can,” Milei said.

Paraguay

Meanwhile, in Asunción, the Foreign Ministry issued a statement condemning the ICC's decision:

“The Government of the Republic of Paraguay regrets the decision of the International Criminal Court to issue arrest warrants for the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, and the former Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant. This decision violates Israel's legitimate right to defend itself.

Paraguay strongly rejects the political instrumentalization of international law and considers that this decision compromises the legitimacy of the Court, in addition to weakening efforts for peace, security, and stability in the Middle East.”