Argentina has officially designated Hamas as an "international terrorist organization," marking a significant shift in the country's stance towards Israel under President
Javier Milei's administration. This move represents a departure from Argentina's historically pro-Palestinian position.
President Milei's office announced the designation on Friday, attributing the decision to Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, the group's connections with Iran, and a recent judicial ruling in Argentina. The ruling identified Iran as the orchestrator of two deadly terror attacks in Buenos Aires during the 1990s.
The announcement emphasized President Milei's "unwavering commitment to recognizing terrorists for what they are."
Argentina's Jewish political umbrella organization, DAIA, lauded the decision. In a statement on X (formerly Twitter), DAIA said, "The representative entity of the Argentine Jewish community welcomes the historic act."
While largely symbolic, the designation allows Argentina to freeze any assets tied to Hamas within its jurisdiction. The government agency responsible for this task has previously identified and frozen assets linked to Hezbollah prior to Argentina's official declaration of the Lebanon-based group as a terror organization.
This declaration coincides with the 30th anniversary of the AMIA Jewish community center bombing in Buenos Aires, which killed 85 people on July 18, 1994. Argentina attributes this attack to Hezbollah and Iran, though both groups deny responsibility.
Jewish organizations, including the World Jewish Congress and the Latin American Jewish Congress, are organizing an anti-terrorism summit in Buenos Aires on Wednesday. This event precedes a morning demonstration in front of the rebuilt and recently refurbished AMIA building, expected to draw international leaders.
President Milei, whose support for Israel aligns with his right-wing politics and personal affinity for Judaism, is expected to speak at the summit. Other speakers include U.S. antisemitism envoy Deborah Lipstadt, Canadian antisemitism envoy Deborah Lyons, local Jewish leaders, and officials from across Latin America. Photo by Fars Media Corporation, Wikimedia commons.