Argentinian foreign minister: Each of us has a role to bring back hostages

Argentinian Foreign Minister Gerardo Werthein said at The Jerusalem Post Miami Conference on Monday that each person had a role to play in the returning of Israelis from Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip.

In response to a speech by the mother of hostage Omer Shem Tov, Gerardo said that be it through prayer or activism, “each one of us has a role and a mission,” to help bring back the hostages.

Gerardo spoke of the shift in approach brought in by Argentinian President Javier Milei, who has been supportive of Israel, as being about sticking to principles. He noted Milei’s scathing criticism at appearances at the United Nations as brining about change by speaking in a different manner.

“Very strong relations” with Trump

In addition to support for Israel, Gerardo  predicted that there would be “very strong relations” with President-elect Donald Trump’s administration. Argentina was proud to be an ally of the US, said Gerardo, describing it as a champion of freedom and democracy.

The minister also explained that Argentina stood in defiance of authoritarianism in South America. Milei’s rise to power was a “revolution of freedom,” which greatly improved the economic situation and lives of Argentinians, said Gerardo.

 Jerusalem Post editor-in-chief Zvika Klein noted that Gerardo made history when he entered office when he was sworn in on a Jewish Chumash religious text.

Gerardo recalled that when Milei had offered him the position, the now foreign minister said that he would not swear on anything besides a Chumash, as he believed that one had to show pride in who one is when taking on such momentous tasks. 

“Great, you can use my Chumash,” Milei, who studies Torah every day, said according to Gerardo.

Milei also keeps a Torah scroll in the President’s Residence that survived the Holocausr, Gerardo shared.