More than a thousand Argentine intellectuals and artists published a statement protesting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Argentina, scheduled for early September. 

In the public letter, the signees said that Netanyahu is accused of “war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the possible crime of genocide” in Gaza, describing him as an “international criminal” and one of “the worst leaders” on the global scene. They went on to “absolutely reject” President Javier Milei’s invitation to the foreign leader, accusing the Argentine president of “complicity with barbarism.”

The letter was signed by renowned local academics and artists, including Professor José Emilio Burucúa, former minister Graciela Fernández Meijide, and film director Mariano Llinás.

“This betrays the best humanist traditions of our history and drags the government into a moral slump,” the statement read. 

Last year, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Israel’s former Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant, accusing them of “the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare,” as well as other crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Since the beginning of the conflict, more than 600 days ago, over 60,000 people have been killed, including more than 18,000 children, and nearly 200 people, including 96 children, have died of starvation, according to Gaza health authorities. A report released by French NGO Doctors Without Borders on Thursday described Israel’s actions as “institutionalized starvation and dehumanization.”

Earlier this week, the Socialist Intellectuals and Artists Assembly also signed a statement entitled Gaza: Before It’s Too Late, where they denounce Israel for turning the Gaza Strip into “an unlivable hell where the only choices are to die of starvation or to die looking for food.” The statement, also signed by over a thousand people, including award-winning writers like Guillermo Martínez, Elsa Drucaroff, and Guillermo Saccomanno, also accused the Milei administration of being “unconditionally aligned with the actions of the State of Israel.” 

“Milei is an accomplice of genocide,” the statement read. “We repudiate this alignment by the Argentine government. We raise our voices to say, ‘Not in our name!’”

Echoing a global day of actions to denounce Israel’s actions in Gaza, the Argentine Committee of Solidarity with the People of Gaza has called for a march on Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires City on August 9 at 3 p.m. Demonstrations are also scheduled in several other provinces across the country.