This Thursday, Victoria Villarruel will seek to vindicate herself against her own government after the rejection of DNU 70/2023 and it is most likely that she will be able to do so thanks to the support of Peronism. The vice president called a session in the Senate to discuss the specifications of about six ambassadors, among whom there is only one that raises doubts: that of Rabbi Axel Wahnish for the embassy in Israel. Wahnish is criticized for his position – which is that of Javier Milei – regarding moving the Argentine embassy to Jerusalem. The most critical is Martín Lousteau, who could vote against the document along with other radicals and thus leave the ruling party in a very precarious number. Villarruel is confident, however, that a sector of Unión por la Patria will come to her rescue. The libertarian bet has a first and last name: Juan Manzur and the people of Santiago who respond to Governor Gerardo Zamora.
La Libertad Avanza intends to approve, in total, about six specifications: that of Gerardo Werthein – owner of one of the largest holding companies in the country – for the embassy in the United States, that of Guillermo Nielsen for Paraguay, that of Ian Sielecki for France, that of Mariano Caucino for India, that of Sonia Cavallo – daughter of former minister Domingo Cavallo – for the OAS, and, finally, Axel Wahnish for the Israeli embassy. The first five do not cause major problems, but Wahnish’s case is different. Wahnish is a rabbi from a Moroccan-Jewish community who has a very close bond with Javier Milei: the president has known him for two years and has consulted them frequently since then. He even calls him his “spiritual guide,” and personally appointed him to serve as ambassador to Israel.
The criticism of Wahnish’s nomination is not because of the character, but because of the defense he had made, in the Senate Agreements Commission, of the president’s desire to move the embassy – which is today located in Tel Aviv – to Jerusalem, a territory in dispute with Palestine. One of the most critical, at the time, had been Martín Lousteau, who had refused to accompany the opinion – supported by the rest of radicalism – until Chancellor Diana Mondino herself went to her office in the Senate to convince him. At that meeting, Mondino “committed that they would not advance anything that went against the UN resolution,” as explained by the radical senator’s entourage. A few days later, however, Milei himself again insisted in an interview with the idea of moving the embassy and once again raised alarm bells among the opposition.
Since the rejection of DNU 70/2023, Lousteau has been testing a certain autonomy from the rest of his bloc. “Martín fears the impact that the transfer may have on the Argentine claim on the sovereignty of the Malvinas,” they explained near the senator when he refused to sign Wahnish’s opinion. After Milei’s statements and in the midst of the escalation of the conflict between Israel and Iran, however, more radicals are now saying that they would not be comfortable supporting Wahnish’s nomination. Most are waiting for a public note from Mondino in which she commits not to try to move the embassy: the chancellor had promised them when she visited the Senate almost a month ago and, until now, she has never appeared. “If there is no note and public commitment, there will be several senators who will vote against,” ventured a radical northern senator.
The poroteo of Villarruel: UxP to the rescue
Without Lousteau’s support, Villarruel is in trouble getting the number to approve the specifications. The confrontation of the national government with the governor of Santa Cruz, Claudio Vidal, had led to the vice president losing two votes – that of senators Natalia Gadano and José María Carambia -, so to reach 37 she needed yes or yes from the radicals. Now, faced with Lousteau’s rejection, Villarruel will need to go knock on UxP’s door.
Originally, Peronism had come out against Wahnish’s appointment for the same reasons as Lousteau: the embassy in Jerusalem. As the hours passed, however, two actors began to pressure internally to enable his approval. The most important was Juan Manzur from Tucumán, who maintains a link with several members of the most orthodox branches of Judaism. In a block meeting that took place on Wednesday afternoon, Manzur was categorical in his defense of Wahnish’s nomination and the other five diplomatic documents. The two senators who respond to Gerardo Zamora also came out in his defense, such as Claudia Ledesma Abdala and Gerardo Montenegro.
This internal pressure plunged UxP into a discussion that lasted several hours. Although there were several who did not want to support Wahnish’s appointment, the will of a majority who claimed that a gesture had to be made to the ruling party ended up predominating. “The guy is blameless. We may not agree about the embassy, but that is for the president to decide, not the ambassador,” explained an important Peronist leader who highlighted that, having passed a month since DNU 70/2023 had been rejected, , it was time to give the government a boost “so as not to look like we are opposed to everything.” With the votes of UxP, which would be almost all of them, Villarruel would have no problem approving the six specifications.
