South America Responds: Bolivia Severs Ties With Israel Over War With Hamas

Bolivia’s left-wing government has severed relations with Israel in response to its latest conflict with Hamas. The decision was announced Tuesday afternoon by María Nela Prada, a minister in President Luis Arce’s administration.

“We demand an end to the attacks on the Gaza Strip,” the minister noted at a press conference in the de facto capital, La Paz. Previously in 2009, Bolivia broke off ties with Israel after the country’s invasion of the impoverished Gaza but re-established relations in 2020.

“Stop! For The Love Of God, Stop!”: Lula

Hours later, the governments of Colombia and Chile recalled their ambassadors from Israel. After reports emerged that dozens had been killed by Israeli airstrikes at a refugee camp in Gaza, Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva tweeted: “Stop! For the love of God, stop!”

“Just because Hamas committed a terrorist act against Israel, it doesn’t mean Israel has to kill millions of innocent people,” the Brazilian president had noted earlier, referring to the Palestinian Islamist militant group’s surprise attack on Israeli cities that killed about 1,400 people.

“Collective Punishment” Of Palestinians

On Tuesday, Colombian President Gustavo Petro said he had recalled his ambassadors over Israel’s “massacre” of Palestinians. He likened Israel’s actions to those of Hitler’s Nazis, drawing criticism from the Foreign Ministry of Israel over his “hostile and antisemitic statements”.

Meanwhile, Chile’s president, Gabriel Boric, highlighted the “collective punishment of the Palestinian civilian population in Gaza,” announcing he had recalled his country’s ambassador in Tel Aviv to discuss the “unacceptable violations of international humanitarian law”.

Raging Diplomatic Protests Against Israel

Alongside Mexico and Brazil, the other three South American countries have also called for a ceasefire, with Bolivia and Chile pushing for the passage of aid into the zone. It remains to be seen how the diplomatic protests the countries have registered against Israel unfolds.