Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
Following the return of the remains of Shiri Bibas and her children Ariel and Kfir, a deputy mayor of Buenos Aires proposed naming a city street after them. Yamil Santoro, a member of the Argentine capital's city council, introduced the proposal, calling for the street "Estado de Palestina" (State of Palestine) in the Almagro neighborhood to be renamed "Bibas Family Street."
Shiri Bibas, her husband, Yarden, and their children, 4-year-old Ariel and 9-month-old Kfir, were kidnapped to the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, 2023. Shiri and the children were taken separately from Yarden and were murdered shortly afterward. Yarden was released on Feb. 1 as part of the second hostage deal.
"The confirmation of the murder of the two children and their mother is a deep pain for everyone. Hamas is death," Santoro said,
A key obstacle to Santoro’s proposal is Law No. 83, which was approved in October 1998 and states that "under no circumstances may streets or public places be named after individuals before 10 years have passed since their death." but the city council member was working to amend the law for what he calls the "unique case" of the Bibas family.
Get the Ynetnews app on your smartphone: Google Play: https://bit.ly/4eJ37pE | Apple App Store: https://bit.ly/3ZL7iNv
He told local media that he has not yet attempted to contact the Bibas family out of respect for their loss. "We will wait until a reasonable amount of time has passed before approaching them," he said.
Santoro said he found it hard to believe the legislature would oppose the gesture but noted he was not counting on politicians from the left, who he claimed "tend to adopt antisemitic positions." However, he said he was open to working with others to find a compromise.
At the same time, Santoro distinguished between Hamas and Gaza’s residents. "The Palestinian people, as a population, deserve fair living conditions, peace, and stability to develop and thrive," he said.
He also asked citizens in a post on X (formerly Twitter) to suggest other initiatives that the Buenos Aires legislature could pursue to honor the victims and combat terrorism.
On Thursday, following the return of the bodies of Kfir and Ariel—who held both Israeli and Argentine citizenship—Argentine President Javier Milei declared two days of national mourning in their memory.