In the midst of an image crisis unprecedented since taking office —with his approval rating falling to 35%, the scandal surrounding his Chief of Staff dominating the agenda, and an economy that is yet to reach the majority’s pockets— President Javier Milei chose to board the presidential aircraft ARG01 bound for Israel. This is his third official trip to the country in less than two and a half years in office.
The visit, presented by the Casa Rosada as a diplomatic milestone, is framed within the celebrations for the 78th Israeli Independence Day. In other words: Argentina allocated state resources for its president to participate in another country’s celebration, while in the Greater Buenos Aires area, neighbors are taking personal loans to buy food.
The agenda of the trip speaks for itself about its real priorities. Milei visited the Western Wall, received an Honorary Doctorate from Bar-Ilan University, and was recognized by the Talmudic Studies Academy of Yeshiva Hebron. Symbolic and religious recognitions that do not create jobs, do not decrease inflation, nor solve any of the structural problems affecting Argentines.
At the joint conference with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu —whom Milei again called “my friend,” in a display of affection that many analysts interpret as political subordination rather than diplomacy of equals— the first direct flight from Buenos Aires to Tel Aviv was announced, along with a memorandum of understanding on artificial intelligence. Agreements that, by their nature, will take years to produce concrete results, if they ever do.
What is not mentioned in the official statements is the context in which this visit takes place: Netanyahu faces arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court for war crimes in the Gaza Strip. Embracing that leader in front of the world’s cameras is not a neutral gesture. It is a stance that compromises Argentina's foreign policy with the international community and, in particular, with the countries in the region that Argentina needs to trade with.
Meanwhile, the Government that claims to have defeated the “elite” continues to amass presidential trips, delegations, and flight hours on ARG01, with a narrative of governance being built more on international stages than in the streets of the country it supposedly governs.
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