FILE - Women touch a board with the names of people who died in the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center, at the site of the attack in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Thursday, July 18, 2019. Ahead of the 30th anniversary of the attack, President Javier Milei's government sent Congress a bill to hold the trial in absentia, which would allow the accused, fugitives, to be tried.
Friday's announcement professed Milei’s “unwavering commitment to recognizing terrorists for what they are,” adding that “it’s the first time that there is a political will to do so.” The U.S., European Union and several other countries long put a terrorist designation on Hamas, which ruled the Gaza Strip before its current war with Israel.
Previous left-leaning Peronist governments in Argentina, home to the largest Jewish community in Latin America, have maintained friendly ties with Israel but also voiced support for Palestinian statehood. Since coming into office in December, Milei has set himself apart from even Israel’s closest allies in his vocal support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. A huge swell in globalover its military campaign in Gaza, which has killed more than 38,000 Palestinians, displaced over 80% of the territory’s people and triggered a humanitarian disaster.