Argentina Designates Hamas as an “International Terrorist Organization”

Argentina has labelled the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas as“international terrorist organization” due to the attacks in Israel on October 7 and“a long history of attacks”announced the presidency in a statement published on the night of Friday 12 to Saturday 13 July. The United States, the European Union, Canada and the United Kingdom already consider Hamas to be an organisation “terrorist”.

“Furthermore, in recent years its links with the Islamic Republic of Iran have been revealed, whose regime was found responsible for the attacks on the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires and the Israeli mutual insurance company Amia. (…) which cost the lives of more than 100 Argentine citizens”he emphasizes.

The Argentine justice system ruled last April that the attacks on the Israeli embassy in 1992 (29 dead and more than 200 injured) and the Israeli mutual insurance company Amia in 1994 in Buenos Aires (85 dead, more than 300 injured) had been ordered by Iran. The country is home to the largest Jewish community in Latin America, with some 250,000 members.

Javier Milei, a staunch defender of Israel, made his first diplomatic trip there in February after his election in late 2023. He defended the right of the Jewish state to defend itself against what he described as “21st century Nazism” and announced plans to move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, welcomed by Israel and condemned by Hamas.