Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to recognize Argentine sovereignty over the Malvinas (Falkland Islands) and sanction the United Kingdom "for as long as the occupation continues."
Ben Gvir, a hardline member of Netanyahu's own governing coalition, publicly broke with Israel's official neutrality on the dispute, accusing London of seizing Argentine territory and oil resources.
Es hora de que el Estado de Israel reconozca públicamente que las Islas Malvinas son territorio argentino ocupado, que los británicos le roban violentamente al pueblo argentino.
Translation: "It is time for the State of Israel to publicly recognize that the Malvinas Islands are occupied Argentine territory, violently stolen by the British from the Argentine people."
His comments came the same day Argentina's government announced criminal charges against Navitas, an Israeli company headquartered near Tel Aviv and listed on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, and its subsidiaries, over oil operations the government says were conducted without authorization in the Malvinas (Falkland Islands). Argentina also outlined tougher sanctions on companies operating under British licenses in the islands and proposed legislation extending penalties to suppliers of those companies, while barring violators from future government contracts.
The dispute centers on the Sea Lion project, a large offshore oil development in waters off the islands that has been in the works for more than a decade and is expected to begin production around 2028. Navitas holds a majority 65 percent stake; the remaining 35 percent belongs to Rockhopper Exploration, a UK-incorporated company listed on London's AIM market. Argentina considers any drilling there to be extraction of Argentine resources without its consent, a position the UK government and the operating companies reject.
Argentina's government has separately revived plans for a naval base near Ushuaia, roughly 700 kilometers from the islands, and has instructed the Economy Ministry to prioritize funding for the project in the 2027 budget submitted to Congress this month.
Ben Gvir has a record of staking out foreign-policy positions independent of Netanyahu. He has previously called for annexing parts of the West Bank, pushed for rebuilding Jewish settlements in Gaza, and clashed publicly with allies, including the United States, over the postwar administration of Gaza. His Malvinas remarks have no formal government backing and put pressure on Netanyahu from within his own coalition rather than through official channels.
A sitting Israeli cabinet minister publicly siding with Argentina against a NATO ally, even without his government's backing, adds an unusual dimension to the long-running dispute.
No UK government response to Ben Gvir's remarks had been issued as of publication.