Milei begins his second international tour while his reforms to the State advance

As he did on his first international tour to Davos, Argentine President Javier Milei traveled on a commercial flight to Israel. There he will reaffirm one of the substantial points of his international policy: the defense of Israel in the war against the Islamist group Hamas.

Milei becomes the first Argentine president to visit a country in a state of war. During his visit to Israel he will meet with the president, Isaac Herzog, and the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.

“Confirm my position adopted in international terms first-hand.” This was the right-wing ultra-liberal leader's response to the media that asked him what the objective of his meeting with the Israeli president and prime minister was.

The visit to Israel, scheduled for February 6 to 9, is not only part of the South American president's political agenda, but also part of his “spiritual” agenda. Javier Milei, who has expressed his sympathy for the Jewish religion, will visit the Western Wall in Jerusalem this Tuesday. In this sacred place of Judaism he will be received by Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz with whom he will commemorate those who died in the attacks of October 7, 2023.

The Argentine president's agenda also includes a visit to Kibbutz Nir Oz, one of the most affected by the Hamas terrorist attacks, and a meeting with relatives of those kidnapped by the Islamist group.

The Vatican and Italy will be the second phase of Milei's journey in which his sister and Secretary General of the Presidency, Karina Milei, also participate; and Foreign Minister Diana Mondino.

Javier Milei will meet with Pope Francis, a controversial meeting after Milei's constant criticism of his compatriot and leader of the Catholic Church. “Representative of evil on earth” and “ally of bloody dictatorships” are some of the adjectives with which the Argentine president referred to the pope before assuming the highest head of state. However, Milei later softened his speech about the head of the Vatican.

Finally, Javier Milei and the Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, will meet in Rome. A meeting that is expected to be friendly given the statements of support and sympathy for Milei by the right-wing Meloni.

The Milei Government intervenes in public media

As a first step towards the privatization of state companies promised in the presidential campaign, the Government of Javier Milei made official through decree 117/2024 the intervention of the Educ.Ar portal, the Télam news agency, Radio and Television Argentina (both for public television, National Radio and state stations), and the Public Content company.

The auditors appointed by the Government are associated with large business groups and the political movement of former president Mauricio Macri.

Diego Martín Chaher, designated auditor, was administrator of Grupo América, an important audiovisual production company that owns renowned television channels such as A24 and América TV. While Diego Sebastián Marías, deputy auditor, served as a legislator of the city of Buenos Aires for the political party Propuesta Republicana (PRO), whose founder is Macri.

The intervention will be based on the modification of the fund administration regime, which will allow expanding or reducing the budget allocated to public media, modifying their statutes or appointing and removing workers. Measures criticized by the opposition to the Milei Government, and promoted by the ruling party as part of the public spending savings program.

The fight against public companies is a precept of the Milei era. Although Yacimientos Petrolófilos Fiscales (YPF) was excluded from the list of companies that were subject to privatization thanks to political agreements in Congress, Banco de la Nación and Nucleoeléctrica Argentina will be mixed companies, and many others will be privatized.

The companies Aerolíneas Argentinas, Agua y Saneamientos Argentinos (AySA), Correo Argentino, Trenes Argentinos, and Fabricaciones Militares will suffer the same fate as the public media.

Ministry of Human Capital under pressure

On Monday, dozens of people who were beneficiaries of the community kitchens protested in Buenos Aires in front of the Ministry of Human Capital, a ministry that replaces the extinct ones. Ministries of Health, Education, Labor and Social Development.

The demonstration, which occupied several blocks around the Ministry, was dubbed by some local media as 'the hunger rows'. The protesters accused the Minister of Human Capital, Sandra Pettovello, of not arranging for the delivery of food to neighborhood and community kitchens.

For the protesters and for the opposition leader Juna Grabois, the minister's actions would represent a violation of the regulations that order guaranteeing food to those who are suffering from situations of extreme poverty. According to the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INDEC), poverty in Argentina increased to 40.1% in the first half of last year.

The rally in front of the Ministry took place a few days after Minister Pettovello spoke out against social and neighborhood leaders. “If people are hungry, let those people come. “I am going to attend to the people who are hungry one by one, not to the people who refer to them,” the minister stated in recent days.

However, Pettovello refused to attend to the protesters this Monday. A refusal that unleashed political tension and motivated Juan Grabois to file a criminal complaint against the minister for alleged “failure to fulfill the duties of a public official.”

Hours later, the Ministry of Human Capital announced the delivery of food aid. News that according to Grabois was in response to the criminal complaint.

Representatives of the Argentine Catholic community have asked the Government of Javier Milei to intensify “without delay” food assistance for low-income citizens, in the face of blatant inflation.

With local media