Bolivia announced on Tuesday that it had severed diplomatic ties with Israel, citing Israel's military actions in the Gaza Strip as the primary reason for this drastic decision.
The decision was met with widespread condemnation of Israel's attacks on Gaza from other South American nations, with Colombia and Chile recalling their ambassadors for consultations, as per Reuters.
Bolivia Ends Diplomatic Ties with Israel
LA PAZ, BOLIVIA - NOVEMBER 08: Newly elected President of Bolivia Luis Arce (R) talks with his Vice President David Choquehuanca (C) and President of the Bolivian Chamber of Deputies Freddy Mamani (L) on a balcony of the Quemado Presidential Palace after the swearing in ceremony at Plaza Murillo on November 8, 2020 in La Paz, Bolivia.
Bolivia's Deputy Foreign Minister, Freddy Mamani, made the official announcement during a press conference. He stated that Bolivia's decision to break diplomatic relations with Israel was driven by the country's strong condemnation of Israel's aggressive and disproportionate military offensive in the Gaza Strip.
The Bolivian government attributed this decision to alleged war crimes and human rights abuses being committed in Gaza, particularly the loss of thousands of civilian lives and the forced displacement of Palestinians.
Bolivia's decision to sever ties with Israel came shortly after former President Evo Morales called for the same action due to what he termed the "horrific situation facing the Palestinian people."
Morales urged the international community to classify Israel as a "terrorist state" and to denounce Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his associates to the International Criminal Court for genocide and war crimes.
This move by Bolivia is not unprecedented, as the country previously broke off diplomatic relations with Israel in 2009 during another conflict in Gaza. However, they re-established ties in 2020 under the right-wing presidency of Jeanine áñez.
Colombia, under its left-wing President Gustavo Petro, also took a strong stance against Israel's actions in Gaza. President Petro recalled the Colombian ambassador from Israel, denouncing Israel's actions as a "massacre of the Palestinian people."
It's worth noting that President Petro had previously made controversial remarks likening Israel's actions to those of Adolf Hitler's Nazis, which drew a rebuke from Israel's foreign ministry, according to The Guardian.
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Chile, Brazil Presidents Recall Ambassadors in Israel
Chile's President, Gabriel Boric, joined in the condemnation of Israel's actions by recalling the country's ambassador from Tel Aviv. President Boric cited "unacceptable violations of international humanitarian law" as the reason behind this decision.
He highlighted the significant civilian casualties, especially among women and children, and characterized Israel's military operation as the "collective punishment of the Palestinian civilian population in Gaza."
The Brazilian President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, also expressed his criticism of Israel's actions in Gaza. He accused the Israeli Prime Minister of wanting to destroy the Gaza Strip without considering the innocent women and children who are the primary victims of the conflict.
Lula emphasized that even though Hamas had committed a terrorist act against Israel, it did not justify killing innocent people. The escalation in the conflict comes in the wake of Israel's devastating assault on October 7th, which targeted Israeli communities and resulted in a significant loss of life, with most of the casualties being civilians.
Israel has since carried out airstrikes on Gaza and deployed ground forces to eliminate the Hamas terror group. Hamas, the Palestinian organization in control of the Gaza Strip, claims that over 8,500 people have been killed in the conflict.
However, these numbers cannot be independently verified, and Hamas does not distinguish between civilians and combatants, Times of Israel reported.
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