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South America’s Bolivia has decided to sever diplomatic ties with Israel. It is the first country to declare a break in relations with Israel about the war between Israel and the militant Palestinian group Hamas, which was triggered by Hamas’s attack on the 7th (local time).
Recently, critical voices against Israel have been rising in Central and South American countries, so it is noteworthy whether Bolivia’s decision to sever ties will influence neighboring countries.
According to the Guardian and others, on the 31st, the Bolivian Presidential Office declared that it would cut diplomatic relations with Israel, saying, “The Palestinian residents of the Gaza Strip are being violated of their human rights.”
The Bolivian Presidential Office said, “We have sent an official letter to Israel to inform them of our decision to sever diplomatic relations,” and “Within the principled framework of respect for life, our government stands in solidarity with the Palestinian residents and condemns war crimes.”
This comes three years after Bolivia restored diplomatic relations with Israel under the right-wing government of Jeanine Áñez in 2020. Previously, Bolivia had severed ties with Israel in 2009 during the government of former President Evo Morales, taking issue with the attack on the Gaza Strip. Morales had also urged a break with Israel on social media, referring to the brutal situation faced by the Palestinians before the Bolivian government announced severance.
The current Bolivian government, led by left-leaning President Luis Arce, has also maintained a critical stance towards Israel after the war between Israel and Hamas. On the 18th, Bolivia issued a statement harshly criticizing Israel in an unclear situation as to who was responsible for the explosion of a Gaza Strip hospital that killed hundreds. The Bolivian government again urged Israel to “stop the attack on the Gaza Strip, which has resulted in thousands of civilian casualties and demands for forced migration.”
Currently, in the Central and South American region, where left-wing tendencies are dominant, there are many countries critical of Israel, and it is mentioned that Bolivia’s declaration of severance may influence the diplomatic judgment of other countries. Recently, Colombia has sparked diplomatic conflict with Israel as President Gustavo Petro criticized Israel’s airstrike on the Gaza Strip and likened Israel to the Nazis.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil called for a halt, saying, “We are witnessing a war where most of the victims are children,” concerning the report that Israel had bombed a refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. Gabriel Boric, President of Chile, also expressed a similar position and called the Israeli ambassador to his home country to discuss the situation. Colombia was also reported to have taken action to summon the ambassador.
By. Lee Jang Won
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