Argentina to move Israel embassy to Jerusalem by spring 2026

Argentina will move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem this spring, following a visit by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, whose father was from Argentina, to Buenos Aires on Tuesday.

Argentina’s right-wing populist president, Javier Milea, had pledged to move his country’s embassy in Israel to Jerusalem in June, a decision that goes against international law and consensus on the status of the city.

Argentina’s embassy, like that of most countries, is currently based in Tel Aviv, but in recent some nations, mostly led by right-wing leaders like Milei, are moving their diplomatic missions to Jerusalem, despite the Palestinian eastern section of the city being under illegal occupation.

“We discussed the President’s upcoming visit to open Argentina’s embassy in Jerusalem, our eternal capital,” Sa’ar said.

Milei is one of South America’s foremost allies of Israel, having visited the country multiple times and targeting groups such as Hamas with sanctions.

“The economic delegation accompanying me today is an expression of our belief in the President’s bold economic reforms and Argentina’s economy under his leadership,” Sa’ar said.

Israel claims that Jerusalem, the eastern half of which it seized in 1967, is its “eternal” capital, with the Knesset and most government offices based there.

It has encouraged countries to move their diplomatic missions to the city and has allegedly given financial support to some smaller countries in Oceania to do so, with Fiji inaugurating its embassy in Jerusalem in September.

More controversially, the US moved its embassy to Jerusalem during the first term of President Donald Trump.