Javier Milei made these remarks upon his arrival in Israel, where he will meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Argentine President Javier Milei has announced plans to move his country’s embassy to Jerusalem during his visit to Israel.

The 53-year-old economist, who upended traditional politics and won the election last year, was warmly greeted by Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz at Ben-Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv.

Milei, on his first official visit since taking office, other than a quick stop at the Davos Economic Forum in Switzerland, said: “My plan is to move the embassy to West Jerusalem.”

Confirmation of the widely expected announcement was met with approval from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose office said he “warmly welcomed” the move.

“The Prime Minister discussed this with President Milei after his election and welcomes the fact that the President kept his promise,” it said in a statement.

The right-wing Netanyahu and the libertarian Milei, who has been compared to former US President Donald Trump – who moved the US embassy to Jerusalem in 2018 – will meet on Wednesday for talks aimed at deepening ties between the two countries.

After arriving, Milei made his way to the Western Wall in East Jerusalem’s historic Old City, the holiest place for Jews to pray.

On his trip, he will also visit a kibbutz and meet families of hostages captured by the Palestinian armed group Hamas when it attacked southern Israel on October 7, killing at least 1,139 people, according to a tally based on official Israeli figures AlJazeera. The group that rules Gaza took about 240 more people hostage.

After the Hamas attack, Israel launched a devastating bombardment and ground offensive against Gaza, while severely restricting supplies of water, food and aid to the area. The campaign has reduced much of the territory to rubble and displaced more than 80 percent of Gaza’s residents.

According to Palestinian authorities, more than 27,500 people were killed and more than 66,000 others were injured in the Israeli attack.

The Palestinian group Hamas said it “strongly condemns” Milei’s announcement. Hamas, the group that governs Gaza, said it viewed the move as “a violation of the rights of our Palestinian people to their land and a violation of the rules of international law, since Jerusalem is considered occupied Palestinian land.”

Milei, known for his fiery speeches and wild sideburns, describes himself as an “anarcho-capitalist.” He grew up in a Catholic family but studied Jewish scriptures.

After his election victory in November, he visited the grave of a revered rabbi in New York – a popular spiritual destination for some Jews.

Argentina’s Jewish community has 250,000 members and is one of the largest in Latin America.

From Israel, Milei will travel to Rome on Friday for a meeting with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and a private audience with Pope Francis.

Milei has previously criticized his fellow Argentine but has toned down his rhetoric recently.