JERUSALEM, Israel — Argentine President Javier Millei prayed at the Western Wall, Judaism’s holiest site, on Tuesday night shortly after arriving in Israel.
Milley, who is proudly pro-Israel and has a strong interest in Judaism, is planning a three-day visit to Israel to fulfill a promise he made while running for president late last year.
He will then head to Rome to meet with Pope Francis, who is from Argentina. He will also attend the canonization of an Argentine saint.
As she left Buenos Aires, Millay posted a selfie with a small group of colleagues on Instagram, adding: Final destination Jerusalem. Long live freedom, you bastard! ”
Upon arriving in Israel, Milley, like US President Donald Trump, declared that he intended to move the Argentine embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged Milley’s actions in a statement Tuesday afternoon, saying he “welcomes the arrival in Israel of Argentine President Javier Milley, who announced the relocation of the Argentine embassy to Jerusalem.”
Millay was greeted by cheering crowds at the Western Wall, some carrying Argentine flags. He was greeted by the Wall’s official rabbi, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, who prayed with other rabbis before greeting his supporters.
Argentina’s President Javier Millay greets rabbis and supporters after praying at the Western Wall, Judaism’s holiest site. Jerusalem, Israel, February 6, 2024 (Joel Pollak / Breitbart News)
Milay’s prayer at the Western Wall confirms that Argentina considers the holy site to be under Israeli sovereignty and follows similar actions by President Trump during his 2017 visit. It is also politically important.
Millay, a liberal economist who has been harshly critical of Argentina’s socialist and populist policies in the past, became president after winning the election last October. He immediately cut Argentina’s government departments by half, one of several measures aimed at reining in spending and curbing inflation. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland last month, he warned that Western countries, represented by assembled elites, were embracing socialism and therefore poverty.
Later on Tuesday, Milley will visit Israeli President Isaac Herzog and meet with families of Israeli hostages abducted by Hamas. On Wednesday, he is scheduled to visit Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust memorial, and meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. And on Thursday, he plans to visit Kibbutz Nir Oz, one of the areas hardest hit by the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack.
Joel B. Pollack is a senior editor at Breitbart News. Breitbart News Sunday Sunday nights from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM ET (4:00 PM to 7:00 PM PT) on Sirius XM Patriot. He is the author of the recent book, The Zionist Conspiracy (And How to Participate in It), now available on Audible. He is also the author of an e-book. Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 US Presidential Election. He is the recipient of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter @joelpolak.
