Israel Gets Active in Latin America
In late 2010 and early 2011, a long list of Latin American countries suddenly recognized the existence of an independent Palestinian state. These countries included both regional powers (Argentina, Brazil, Chile) and their smaller neighbors (Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay). The wave of diplomatic recognition seemed to emerge out of nowhere. But it actually reflected an aggressive Palestinian lobbying campaign that was championed by former Brazilian President Lula da Silva, who left office on January 1.
The Washington Post noted that Palestinian officials were “taking advantage of the region’s growing economic ties to the Arab world and its eagerness to demonstrate its independence from Israel’s powerful ally, the United States.” They were also taking advantage of Israeli and U.S. neglect. After being very involved in (and receiving crucial diplomatic support from) Latin America during its early history, Israel had become somewhat disengaged from the region, at a time when leaders such as Lula and Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez were busy cultivating pro-Palestinian sentiment. As for the Obama administration, it has treated Latin America as a complete afterthought. Thus, the remarkable success of the Palestinian diplomatic push caught both Jerusalem and Washington by surprise.
But now, it appears, the trend of recognizing Palestinian statehood has been reversed, or at least halted. Earlier this month, citing comments from Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon, the Jerusalem Post reported that “a majority of the 35 countries in Latin America are either against recognition of a Palestinian state at the UN in September, or are having second thoughts.” Ayalon told the Post that Israel had “stopped the [Palestinian] momentum in Latin America.”
His recent trip to the region was part of a larger Israeli drive to reduce global support for immediate Palestinian statehood. While Israel urges foreign governments to oppose Palestinian recognition, the Palestinians themselves are hopelessly divided between the factions of Fatah and Hamas, the latter of which remains an unrepentant terrorist group committed to Israel’s destruction. A Palestinian “unity” meeting originally scheduled for this week in Cairo was called off when the two sides could not agree on a prime minister. Given these conditions, the idea that a Palestinian state should be recognized by the United Nations in September seems foolish.
Beyond the Palestinian question, Israel has good reason to increase its diplomatic activity in the Western Hemisphere. Left-wing Latin American politicians have traditionally been hostile toward the United States, and they are now depicting Jerusalem as a mere puppet of Washington. Anti-Semitism remains widespread in Latin America, and especially in Argentina, a country with a deeply rooted fascist history. Unfortunately, the past few years have seen a disturbing jump in anti-Semitic violence. “Across Latin America, Jewish leaders say they are contending with a new level of anti-Semitism,” the Christian Science Monitor reported in August 2009, observing that the roots of this spike could be traced back to the December 2008 war in Gaza. “From La Paz, Bolivia, to Panama City, political expressions have turned increasingly derogatory, with graffiti and banners equating the Israel conflict with Nazism. There have been bomb threats in synagogues throughout the region.”
there are a lot of nazis in South America, very little good has ever come out of South America except perhaps the potato…
Let’s face it, these countries are filthy pits of desperately poor and communist-ridden inhumanity.
You are ignorant and are not helping the cause. I am a pro Israel Ashkenazi Jew with connections to South American. Latinos too come from a history of oppression, and they are just as humane well intentioned as the rest of the world. As in so many other places their people need to be educated. Jews being out numbered and hated on is nothing new. There are anti-semites the world round, and your rhetoric just adds to the hate. We will persevere and prosper like we have in years past. https://twitter.com/#!/Ger_TheFeroshis
Calling someone names for pointing out the obvious doesn’t help either. The problem with Central and South American is the same as the ME – it’s the people. Period.
lol …what is you are saying is the issue with “the people”
well education is part of it. many (not all) people in south america and like those in the middle east (I could add “many african-american”) have been indoctrinated as victims. and they make a nice living as victims.
“Education” is over used.
Sometimes a loud “NO” and a smack on the Cabeza are required.
…a smack in the head qualifies as education. education isn’t just formal class room stuff. people need to learn responsibility …”educated in responsibility”
yes you are ignorant ..the tomato and squash originated in south america too
To Gargoyle, Your racist comment is disgusting. Huge numbers of Latinos are VERY good people!
As an Irish American I concur with your postive assessment of the potato. The rest of your comments are misguided.
The Palestinian split between a terrorist group that claims to be willing to make peace versus one that renounces the very idea of peace may have cooled the support for Palestinian statehood, as the author pointed out.
However, the author also gave some solid reasons why South America has increasing incentive to side with the enemies of Israel, and I don’t see how “diplomatic activity” on the part of Israel can do anything about that. It’s more likely that Israel might offer technology transfers to those South American countries that refrain from this sort of evil.
The lopsided ratio of Arabs to Jews in South America does not reflect the economic, political, cultural and social impact of each population in the same ratio.
Just a wild guess.
Hmmm, well I’m glad Israel is paying more attention to South and Central America. This maneuver could help change some minds and stop a showdown at the UN. Maybe. But with people like Hugo Chavez (if he’s still alive)and Castro (who is literally the walking dead), Israel will have a tough time changing some minds there.
And we have not even talked about the influence China is having on the region, which would certainly be anti west and anti American. So it would really, really, help if Obama and Clinton were trying to mend fences with Latin America, like passing the trade agreements these smaller countries need to stand on their own two feet. But I doubt Obama will do that because he probably thinks any major trade agreement with Latin America would hurt him with his union buddies. So he’d rather lose Latin America to the communists rather than bring them in as trading partners. And some people still wonder why we want this guy out in 2012.
Palestinians already have a country… it is called Jordan and it constitutes 80% of the historical Turkish province of Palestine which was carved out by Britaian and given as a gift to a Saudi prince in 1921.
All Palestinian refugees could be settled there in luxury (which will be much cheaper then war) with international aid, and put an end to their dream of the destruction of Israel.
Jordan is Palestine by history, religion, culture and people. The Palestinians have a homeland in the West Bank and Jordan and should stop complaing about having to be relocated within their own land in luxury.
The self-anointed ‘refugees’-trans-Jordanians receive the most aid worldwide year-in year-out, even more than ANY country in the dark continent. (surprising if you ever visit Burkina Faso..) These same ‘victims’ have also launched thousands of rockets at civilians, provided work by the very same people they loathe, overwhelmingly elected a terrorist-supporting government, have little-no commerce, hide their cache of weaponry in civilian/educational structures, are not welcome by Egyptians, Jordanians, Lebanese etc., and foam at the mouth to ‘become a state’.
Yep, this should end well.
Latin American countries are mostly Christian. It is very odd for Christians to be anti-Semitic. Jesus was a JEW. To be anti-Semitic is to be against Jesus. And being anti-Semitic is being against the Bible – G-D repeatedly states in the Bible that He has given Israel to Jews as an everlasting possession.
Dear Latinos, read your Bibles! Old and New Testament! G-D’s Word is eternal and NEVER changes. G-D warns in the Bible that those who curse the Jews, will be cursed!
If Jesus had been born in our time period, from the time he was in his mother’s womb, Jesus and his family would have been targeted for murder by the Islamics for being JEWS living in their HOMELAND of Israel.
Propaganda is a powerful weapon in the war against Jews. Propaganda is not just reporting LIES as truth. It is also not reporting TRUTH.
The famous majority Christian city of Bethlehem in Judea and the famous majority Christian city of Nazareth are now both majority Muslim. Most Arab Christians have been driven out of their highly cherished cities by cruel Muslim persecution.
The suffering and persecution of Christians in Egypt has worsened since Mubarak’s ouster. There is no one to help! Suffering and persecution of Christians, Hindus and Sikhs in Pakistan and Bangladesh is increasing. There is no one to help! Human rights for all non-Muslims now!
Latin America must be warned of the horrendous suffering and severe persecution of Christians and other non-Muslims by Muslims!
Correction – Latin Americans are mostly Roman Catholic and Rome has a long history of anti-semitism. This has had a heavy influence in the way Latinos think about Jews. Those Lationos that are favorable towards the Jews and Isreal are usually found within the growing Evangelical Christian communities of Latin America.
Of course, who ever heard of a Christian, especially a Protestant, being an antisemite? Martin Luther would roll in his grave at the very thought of that.
Dear Latinos, be on the side of what is right. Be on G-D’s side!
HATED Infidel Israel is the VICTIM of global jihad.
In the Palestinian Authority, streets, summer camps, schools, tournaments, and city squares are dedicated to, and named after savage terrorist killers of Jewish innocents. Hatred and murder of Jews is preached in mosques, media, speeches and public education systems.
A Muslim woman was caught strapped with a bomb belt on her way to the hospital to blow up among the kind Jewish doctors and nurses who healed her.
All Palestinian Authority maps show the new state of Palestine covering ALL Israel. The goal: Muslim conquest of ALL Israel. Stop the planned Second Holocaust!
I never quite get it. The Jews love everybody that hates them, if they hate anybody it is those who advocate helping them. For example, they really treat American Christians with contempt. They swoon over O every day and he and his like Rev Wright and Farrakhan hate— lets try for a bit of truth, the Palestinians are a group of primitives who deal in hate and murder, liberals love them anyhow even though they mostly hate and murder Jews, who are almost all liberals. Some folks better rethink, or start to think. Mostly we Texans hate nobody, it really is better this way.
Anonymous:
You are right about this. You have to remember most Jews voted for Obama in the last election. For some reason they are very pro liberal in their political viewpoints. I love all the Christians myself. I am a conservative Jew who grew up in NYC. I love everyone as long as you don’t try to kill me and tell me I must convert to your ways. Judaism is about love and understanding of our fellow humans. Never once in my temple have I heard my rabbi preach hatred and destruction of another group because they are different. Us Jews were chosen to be a light onto the rest of the world and spread God’s love to all who want it. I support all my Christian brothers and sisters as well as my Jewish brothers and sisters.
Don’t despair Linda Rivera, as a latin american who was grown as protestant christian I can tell I learnt to love the jewish people due to the Bible teachings. I know they have the biblical promise (to Abram, later Abraham):
“…and I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curse thee…”
Yes, Christianism had also a dark history, when religion started to be a State and government matter, the churches were readily corrupted. Now, when faith and religion are personal matters, hate against jewish is not a problem anymore, in the sense that jewish-hating is not a built-in feature of christianism. That’s what modern jewish seem to fail to understand.
Recent Presidents of Colombia, Argentina, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, & Ecuador were products of arab diaspora. Pop singer Shakira (Colombia) and Mexican Actress Salma Hayek also claim arab roots.