Argentina's opposition leaders claim Israeli tourist link to Patagonia wildfires

Several opposition leaders in Argentina have shared their grievances about the Patagonia wildfires, including the country's former army chief Cesar Milani and a former senior government official, Luis D'Elia. In a social media post, Cesar Milani accused “ a foreign state” of deliberately starting the fires, pointing to a law repealed to “enable the free purchase of land by foreigners”. He did not specify which foreign state, but he posted a picture of Argentine President Javier Milei waving an Israeli flag.

"Our Argentine Patagonia is burning: A state intentionally absent. New laws that enable the free purchase of land by foreigners and economic activities in burned zones. A foreign State, pointed out by the locals themselves as responsible. A government that, when it finishes collapsing, will leave literally scorched earth in our Homeland. A sleeping and alienated people, who did not understand our history and continue voting for a country project that is anti-patriotic, with incalculable damage for the national future," read the post.

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Luis D'Elia shared a video of a local resident claiming he tried to stop several Israeli nationals whom he said he witnessed setting fires in the vast forested area. While there is no official verification of these claims, Milei has dismissed the claims as "antisemitic". But in a statement issued on Monday, the governor of Chubut, a province in Patagonian Argentina, has confirmed that the fires were "sparked intentionally" and initiated an investigation into it so that responsibles answer before the law.

These allegations started to circulate when the local television network A24 channel broadcast an interview, which featured a woman displaced by the fire, whoaccused the government of "selling Patagonia to all the Israelis". The video went viral, and soon a wave of testimonies was aired featuring people evacuating and making similar claims. The Patagonia wildfire started on January 5 and continues to burn in the Chubut province. The fire has already consumed approximately 50,120 hectares and displaced more than 3000 people.

The fire comes just as Israel's Channel 12 reported that the prospective plan of Argentina, shifting its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, was delayed due to a diplomatic dispute of oil exploration project in the Falkland Islands worth around $2billion.