Argentine lawmaker accuses colleague of antisemitism over ambassador letter

Argentine legislator Sabrina Ajmechet strongly criticized her colleague Sergio Palazzo for contacting the Israeli ambassador about recent layoffs at Banco Hipotecario. Ajmechet labeled Palazzo's action as a "very strong antisemitic act," arguing that it is inappropriate to involve a foreign ambassador in issues concerning Argentine citizens and businesses.

Palazzo had written to Ambassador Eyal Sela to intervene in what he termed a "wave of dismissions" at the bank, which is headed by Eduardo Elsztain. Ajmechet questioned Palazzo's motives, suggesting that he targeted Elsztain, who is Jewish, specifically because of his religion. She posed rhetorical questions, asking if Palazzo would have contacted the Italian ambassador or the apostolic nuncio if the employer had Italian or Catholic heritage, respectively.

"Jews are Argentines," Ajmechet asserted during a session, emphasizing that such actions normalize discriminatory ideas. The exchange became heated, with other lawmakers interjecting. Horacio Pietragalla, from Palazzo's party, shouted that religion had nothing to do with Israel, while a colleague of Ajmechet's retorted, "Shut up." The session's president, Martín Menem, intervened to restore order.