Known plagiarist, dog cloning enthusiast, and chainsaw-wielding Argentinian president, Javier Milei, visited Israel on June 9. He cried at the Wailing Wall, he hugged both Netanyahu and Herzog, called the former a brother, spoke at the Knesset, giving his undying support to Israel, invoking biblical cliches, and engaging in another of his favorite hobbies, chastising the left. When he returned to Argentina, he announced that his government would move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a move notoriously promoted by Trump during his first administration. This saccharine show of affection is coupled with the already established commitment to cooperation in matters of security and military intelligence and technology that Milei had promised in the past years. The Milei government would later deny entry to a family of Palestinians, despite all their legal documents being in order. Milei, whose affection towards Israel borders on the sexual, is all but the most histrionic leader in a global trend of ultra-rightists who see in Israel the embodiment of their wildest political fantasies, not only an entity free of reproach but as a global model to reproduce. Meloni, Wilders, Bolsonaro, Bukele, Trump, Orban, Modi, and many other figures within the global right have sung the praises of Israel. The reasons are not surprising, and while Israel continues to commit genocide, it has consolidated its influence among the extreme right. ….more
