While Israel is fighting a vital war to eradicate the genocidal terrorist organization Hamas, with many Israelis still held as hostages, Israel gained two major (and important) allies outside the country. In a landslide victory (56% to 44%) Javier Melei defeated the peronist, left-wing Economic Minister Sergio Massa in the run-off elections for Argentina’s presidency on November 19. Geert Wilders’ Party for Freedom was victorious in the multi-party Dutch House of Representatives, securing 37 out of 150 seats, making it the largest party by far and virtually guaranteeing Wilders’ appointment as the country’s next prime minister. Both leaders have pledged to relocate the embassy of their respective nations from Tel Aviv and Herzliya to Jerusalem.
Photo Credit: X account
Javier Milei, who will take the oath of office as president of Argentina on December 10, has never held back in endorsing Israel with unconditional backing. He routinely studies Torah with Rabbi Shimon Axel Wahnish and has stated his desire to become a Jew (as Jews are commanded to keep Shabbat, he says he will wait until after his tenure is finished to convert so that his presidential duties won’t clash with his observances). He frequently cites Jewish sources of knowledge in his economic policy speeches (he was a brilliant economist himself). Jewish symbols, including the Shofar—a Ram’s horn converted into a short trumpet used in Jewish ritual, particularly on Rosh HaShana, are often featured in his rallies. Additionally, he has a strong bond with the Lubavitch Chasidic community. In July, he traveled 11 hours from Argentina to New York to visit the tomb of the revered Rebbe of Lubavitch, Rav Menachem Mendel Schneerson, ZT”L (he frequently invokes the Rebbe’s teachings on television). Regarding foreign policy, he responded “Our most natural allies are the United States and Israel. I want nothing to do with the communists of Cuba, China, North Korea. What does that mean? Trade with whoever you want, but I am not going to foment those relationships.” He intends to make Hamas illegal (it is not yet considered a terrorist organization in Argentina).
Photo Credit: Geert Wilder’s X page.
Under the parliamentary system in Holland, where minority governments are common, Geert Wilders’ party received the most votes in an overwhelming (by Dutch standards) victory. They will likely be able to form a coalition government, due to the number of seats they won. He spent two years in Israel as a student, one of those years spent in a “settlement.” This experience, along with other significant travels throughout the Middle East, shaped his political beliefs. He says he developed a “special feeling of solidarity” over his more than 40 visits to the Jewish State. A free speech advocate, he has been fighting radical Islam his entire career, including with his 2008 acclaimed film “Fitna”. He has compared radical Islam to Nazism, and stated that he will close mosques that preach extremism and expel their adherents from the Netherlands. He believes that Israel should have special status with the Dutch government in terms of foreign policy since it “is the West’s first line of defense” against terrorism and genocide. Wilders has long supported Jewish settlement expansion in Judah and Samaria and held Arab nations accountable for the suffering of Palestinian refugees. According to Wilders, Jordan is the true Palestine; indeed, over 70% of its people are Palestinian, and they reject the existing monarchy that oppresses them.
Although good for Israel, many members of the “mainstream media” are not pleased with the results of the elections in Argentina and the Netherlands and have incorrectly referred to both leaders as “far-right,” a word that journalists frequently use to describe politicians who do not share their worldviews. A far more accurate description would be “populist libertarians.”
Nosson Shulman is a licensed tour guide, journalist, and activist with a focus on geopolitics and Biblical Israel. He fervently supports the Jewish State through his writings, radio program, guided tours, continued fundraising for poor Israeli families (and currently for soldiers on the Gaza front), and media appearances. Sadly, his primary source of income as a tour guide has been lost as a result of the war. If you would like to help support his continued work on behalf of Israel during this difficult time while experiencing Israel with the click of a button, click here to see the sneak preview videos of the two virtual tour videos from a Biblical worldview perspective he created, bringing Israel into your home by simulating actual tours, all from the comfort of your own home! .
