Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Bolivia lead Latin American rejection of Israel for war

Brazil, Chili, Colombia and Bolivia lead the growing rejection of the Israeli offensive in Loop in Latin Americaa region that has historically been divided over the constitution of a Palestinian state.

Since the outbreak of the war unleashed as a result of the Hamas attack that occurred in the early hours of October 7, 2023, several Latin American countries, mainly those governed by the left, are rethinking their ties with the Government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and have adopted measures ranging from reporting to international organizations a “genocide” in Gaza by Israel until the breaking of diplomatic relations.

Brazil is one of the countries that has most raised the tone of its criticism of the situation in the Gaza Strip. Brazilian diplomacy, very active in the last three months, has joined the calls for a ceasefire and has supported the genocide lawsuit presented by South Africa before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague.

The diplomatic conflict between Israel and Brazil escalated on February 18 after President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva equated Israeli actions in the Palestinian territories with Adolf Hitler’s persecution of the Jews, a comparison that provoked the anger of Tel Aviv.

In response, Israel declared Lula persona non grata and publicly reprimanded the Brazilian ambassador. The South American country reacted by calling its diplomat for consultations and demonstrating with a strong protest.

Historically, Brazil has defended the two-state solution, except during the time of the government of far-right Jair Bolsonaro, who, due to his links with evangelical movements and his admiration for the now former US president Donald Trump, fervently embraced the Israeli cause and even announced – without finally carrying out – the transfer of the Brazilian Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a controversial decision due to the status of that city in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and international law.

Chile, the country that hosts the largest Palestinian community abroad outside the Arab States, with nearly half a million people, has positioned itself along the same lines as Brazil.

On January 18, the Government of Gabriel Boric added to other gestures the submission, together with Mexico, of a brief to the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Palestine, with the aim of strengthening the investigation of the alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity that occurred in Gaza, the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Israel, illegal crimes contemplated in the Rome Statute.

A trial before the ICC sponsored by South Africa, Bangladesh, Comoros, Djibouti and Bolivia. The latter country broke relations with Israel in November 2023 and rejected “all war as an instrument for solving disputes between States.”

Furthermore, last week Chile once again defended the two-state solution in its oral arguments before the ICJ, in which it accused Israel of “systematically violate international law” and maintained that the Israeli occupation of Gaza transgresses “the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination.”

A position that the president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, summarized at the beginning of February with the following expression: “Israel not only kills children, but also destroys freedom, human rights and solidarity”. Support for Israel

On the other hand, other leaders, such as the new president of Argentina, the ultra-conservative Javier Milei, have expressed their support for Israel, a country he visited last January, in the midst of the Israeli offensive on Gaza – which has already caused the death of some 30,000 people, mostly civilians -, where he announced the future transfer of the Argentine Embassy to Jerusalem.

During his stay, the Argentine president reiterated his “full support” to Israel, a country of which he declared himself a “faithful friend.” Although he is not Jewish, Milei has embraced Judaism and counts a rabbi among his trusted advisors.

Argentina is one of the South American countries with one of the most active and influential Jewish communities in the region.

For his part, the president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, of Palestinian origin and who has been very critical of the radical Islamists of Hamas, once pointed out that the best thing that could happen to the Palestinian people is for “Hamas to completely disappear.” ”.

“As a Salvadoran of Palestinian descent, I am sure that the best thing that could happen to the Palestinian people is for Hamas to disappear completely. “These wild beasts do not represent the Palestinians,” he claimed.

Meanwhile, the president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, has repeatedly said that his Government “he does not take sides either for Israel or Palestine.”