According to reports from Wednesday, the Argentinian government froze its initial plans to move its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and proposed to appoint a new ambassador immediately instead.
After numerous days of negotiations, the Senate Agreements Commission approved on Tuesday evening the nomination of President Javier Mile’s rabbi, Axel Wahnish, as the new Argentinian ambassador to Israel.
Wahnish’s proposal to the Senate had been on standby, however, several senators from the Radical Civil Union (UCR) and representatives of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires (CABA) requested it to be linked to the move of the embassy to Jerusalem.
In a heated debate, Wahnish was questioned by opponents of his new appointment. He was also questioned about President Milei’s decision to move the Argentinian embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Senators express concern on embassy move
Previously, senators Martin Lousteau and Maximiliano Abad rejected the proposition largely due to the claims of moving the embassy to Jerusalem, which they argued is classified as a disputed territory by the United Nations.
Another concern within the Argentine government was that the president of the political party UCR was worried that the embassy move would complicate “Argentina’s claim to the Malvinas Islands.”
Foreign Minister Diana Mondino stated that this will not happen, and the country will not do anything that will go against the UN resolutions that resulted in the freezing of the embassy move.
Senator Lucia Corpacci (Catamarca) Lousteau reprimanded Wahnish that with his new appointment, he will not just be an “ambassador to Israel, but he will be the ambassador of Argentina to Israel.”
In an exclusive interview with the Jerusalem Post earlier this month, Wahnish discussed how the Argentinian president becoming more connected with Israel in recent years, choosing the US and Israel as Argentina's strategic partners. This resulted in his initial decision to move the embassy to Jerusalem.
Wahnish spoke highly of Milei's decisions saying, "people used to think that a president is above other people, not human. We want to show that everyone has emotions and still grows spiritually and to be a better person."