Zionism and Latin America's far-right

Argentina's new right-wing libertarian president, Javier Milei, describes himself as a “fanatic of Israel". He sees the country as Argentina's main ally and has announced a visit to Tel Aviv in February. Milei plans to move Argentina's embassy to Jerusalem. He is following the example of former U.S. President Donald Trump. In 2017, the U.S. became the first and so far only country to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. In Brazil, former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro is a passionate supporter of the Zionist state of Israel. He regularly raised the Israeli flag during his public appearances. Bolsonaro enjoyed strong support from Brazil's influential and fervently Zionist evangelical sector. In 2019, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu became the first Israeli leader to visit Brazil. Commitment to Zionism and support for Israel are central ideological elements of Latin America's far right. Its close ties with Israel date back to the late 1970s and 1980s. During this period, Israel forged political alliances with right-wing military regimes and paramilitary movements in several Latin American countries.