Strong condemnation from La Libertad Avanza and the PRO
The use of an institutional chamber for an activity of such political content provoked immediate criticism from opposition sectors.
The head of the Council, an ally of Kicillof, led the meeting and ended up wearing a Palestinian kufiya
The use of an institutional chamber for an activity of such political content provoked immediate criticism from opposition sectors.
PRO national deputy Alejandro Finocchiaro expressed his “most absolute repudiation” and described the event as a “anti-Israeli and antisemitic act by the PJ of Zárate”. He also accused the local Peronism of having used the Deliberative Council and having “dressed it up as Hamas.”
Finocchiaro also directly linked what happened to the political maneuvering of the Buenos Aires governor. “Kicillof may try to disguise himself as moderate, but the reality of his PJ is different”, he stated.
The episode was also questioned by La Libertad Avanza deputy Sabrina Ajmechet, who focused on the placement of the Palestinian flag on the main podium. “In the main place of the entire Council, where only the Argentine flag should be, they put a Palestinian symbol,” the legislator denounced.
The episode again shows the growing incorporation of the Middle Eastern conflict into the agenda of sectors of Argentine Peronism, in stark contrast to the foreign policy of Javier Milei's Government, which maintains an explicit alliance with Israel and has placed the fight against antisemitism and terrorism among its main international definitions.
The Peronism of Zárate found itself at the center of a strong controversy after using the chamber of the Deliberative Council to hold a pro Palestine event, decorating the place with Palestinian flags, allusions to terrorism, and inviting the ambassador of the "territory" in Argentina, Riyad Alhalabi, who took advantage of his speech to make antisemitic statements against Israel.
The meeting took place on August 19 and was led by Leandro Matilla, president of the Deliberative Council, head of the local PJ, and a leader aligned with the Buenos Aires governor Axel Kicillof. During the event, the chamber was decorated with the red, black, white, and green colors of the Palestinian flag, and even small insignias were placed on the benches.
The PRO and La Libertad Avanza blocs decided not to participate and left their seats empty. The meeting had been organized by a multisectoral group under a slogan that directly accused Israel of committing a “genocide” in territory considered by Kirchnerists as Palestinian.
From the central part of the chamber, surrounded by the Argentine and Palestinian flags, Alhalabi stated that “Israel has someone to protect it: the United States” and harshly criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, an international ally of President Javier Milei, whom he labeled as the “spoiled child” of the international community.
Matilla, for his part, ended the event wearing a kufiya, the traditional Palestinian scarf, consolidating the political identification of the meeting with the international terrorist cause.