ISTANBUL / BOGOTA, Colombia
Argentina has suspended plans to move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem following recent tensions between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Argentine President Javier Milei, Israel’s Channel 12 reported on Saturday.
According to Channel 12, cited by the Times of Israel, the strain is linked to plans by Israeli-owned company Navitas Petroleum to begin offshore oil drilling near the Falkland Islands, with operations projected to start in 2028.
The Falkland Islands are administered by Britain as an overseas territory, but Argentina claims sovereignty over the islands, which it calls the Islas Malvinas.
In December, Argentina criticized Navitas and UK-based Rockhopper Exploration after the companies announced what Buenos Aires described as an illegitimate offshore oil project worth about $2.1 billion near the islands.
Argentina said the project lacked its approval and therefore amounted to a unilateral decision by Britain.
Argentina argued the project lacked its approval and therefore constituted a “unilateral decision” by the British government.
Rockhopper has been barred from operating in Argentina since 2013, when its activities were criminalized, while Navitas was similarly prohibited in 2022 for drilling without authorization.
A 1976 UN resolution states that neither Argentina nor Britain should take unilateral actions over the territory while sovereignty negotiations continue.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has sought to reassure Argentine officials that Israel has no involvement in Navitas’ operations and does not control the publicly traded company, Channel 12 reported.
Despite those efforts, the broadcaster cited sources close to Milei as saying the dispute has effectively halted the embassy relocation and could also damage bilateral relations.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry has previously described Argentina as one of its closest allies under Milei and has said the two countries remain in close and continuous contact.
Milei first announced plans to move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem during a visit to Israel in February 2024 and reiterated in November that the new mission was to be inaugurated in the spring.
Israel has been trying to convince governments to transfer their missions from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. If Argentina were to proceed, it would become the ninth country to do so, joining the US, Guatemala, Honduras, Paraguay, Fiji, Samoa, Kosovo and Papua New Guinea.