GOVERNMENT

Javier Milei

Argentine President

Following his resounding victory in the 2023 Argentine presidential election, the economist and broadcaster Javier Milei refused to relent in his backing for Israel, turning Buenos Aires into one of the most supportive capitals in the world for the Jewish state's bid to eliminate Iranian-backed terrorism. A long-time admirer of the Jewish faith who keeps a portrait of the late Lubavitcher Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson on the wall of his office, the newly elected Milei paid an official visit to Israel in February 2024, promising on arrival that he would move his country's embassy from Tel Aviv to the capital Jerusalem. Throughout the year, Milei has been a rare voice in defense of Israel in Latin America and around the world. Following the International Criminal Court's issuing of arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Milei condemned the action as the "criminalization" of Israel's "legitimate right to defend itself from the constant attacks of terrorist organizations such as Hamas and Hezbollah."