Israeli Official Criticizes UK Sanctions on Settlements During Meeting with Argentina's President

Yisrael Gantz, head of the Binyamin region and chairman of the Yesha Council, met with Argentinian President in Buenos Aires. During the meeting, Gantz drew a parallel between Argentina's claim to the Falkland Islands, which it calls the Malvinas Islands, and British sanctions imposed on Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria. Gantz stated that Britain should end its "occupation" of the Malvinas Islands and revoke "shameful sanctions" against Judea and Samaria, accusing the UK of hypocrisy for sanctioning Jews building homes on ancestral land while holding islands far from its borders.

The sanctions, announced in September by UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, include import bans on settlement goods and measures against Jewish residents and communities in Judea and Samaria. In response, Israeli Foreign Minister Gidon Sa'ar declared retaliatory measures against London, calling the sanctions a hostile act.

President is a strong supporter of Israel. The meeting, described as warm and productive by Gantz's associates, aimed to strengthen ties between the two sides. The President of Argentina later shared photos of the meeting on Instagram, and Gantz called it a "historic meeting" with a "true friend of the State of Israel."

However, relations have been complicated by Argentina's intention to file criminal charges against the Israeli energy company Navitas Petroleum for oil drilling near the disputed islands. While Israel officially advocates for direct negotiations between Argentina and Britain on sovereignty, Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir publicly called for recognizing the Malvinas Islands as occupied Argentinian territory.