Argentine lawmaker proposes renaming ‘Palestine Street’ to ‘Bibas Family Street’

Last week, Israel was gripped by sorrow as the nation mourned the confirmed deaths of the three remaining Bibas family members, who had been held captive by Hamas since its attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. The two young boys, who held dual Argentine-Israeli citizenship, along with their mother, were brutally murdered shortly after being taken hostage in Gaza, according to the official Israeli autopsy.

In response, Yamil Santoro, a lawmaker in the Buenos Aires municipal legislature, is pushing to rename the street Estado de Palestina (State of Palestine) in the Almagro neighborhood to Familia Bibas (Bibas Family), to honor Shiri Silberman Bibas (32) and her two young sons, Ariel (4) and Kfir Bibas (9 months).

The Times of Israel reported, “The main obstacle to the name change is an existing law from October 1998 that restricts designating street names for a person until 10 years have passed since their death.”

Santoro told Argentina’s La Nación newspaper that renaming the street after the Bibas family could provide a way around legal restrictions on naming streets after a single individual.

He wrote on 𝕏: "We are presenting a bill to rename ‘Palestine Street’ as ‘Bibas Family Street.’ It is essential to remember and honor the victims of terrorism."

Argentinian President Javier Milei maintains close ties with Israel and Argentina has reportedly stopped recognizing Palestine as an independent state in recent United Nations votes. However, the proposed legislation must go before the Buenos Aires Legislature, where there are differing opinions.

Some members have suggested that "Palestine Street" is not related to Hamas and the street should not be renamed. They have, instead, recommended a park or another public space be dedicated to remembering the Bibas family.

He added that they have not yet contacted the Bibas family, stating, “We will wait for a reasonable amount of time to pass before reaching out.”

The streets Estado de Palestina and Estado de Israel famously intersect, attracting daily attention from onlookers.