Bolivia cut ties with Israel over its attacks on Gaza, a diplomatic decision that Israel condemned as a “surrender to terrorism” even as its own ties with other countries in Latin America began to falter.
Bolivia announced the decision on Tuesday. Two other Latin American governments – in Chile and Colombia – said the same day they were recalling their ambassadors to Israel in light of the attacks on Gaza, which took place in response to the October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel that left people dead . about 1,400 people and left more than 200 others as hostages.
In a statement, Chile accused Israel of refusing to respect international law and said its airstrikes were “collective punishment for the Palestinian civilian population in Gaza.”
On Wednesday, Israel responded by saying that Colombian and Chilean citizens were among those killed on October 7. “Israel expects Colombia and Chile to support the right of a democratic country to protect its citizens,” said Lior Haiat, spokesperson for Israel’s Foreign Ministry. Foreign Affairs, said on Xformerly known as Twitter.
Bolivia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it had severed diplomatic ties “in protest and condemnation of the aggressive and disproportionate Israeli military offensive taking place in the Gaza Strip, which threatens international peace and security.”
Bolivia had restored diplomatic ties with Israel in 2019 after a decade-long rift that was also linked to Israeli military actions in Gaza. In severing ties on Tuesday, Bolivia called for an end to Israeli attacks on Gaza, denounced the thousands of victims the attacks have caused and insisted that sufficient food, water and aid enter the enclave.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry said relations with Bolivia had been “without substance” under the Latin American country’s current government. “By taking this step, the Bolivian government is joining the terrorist organization Hamas,” the ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.
Israel also accused Bolivia of bowing to the influence of Iran, which has long supported Hamas and other groups opposed to Israel.
Israel’s relationship with Colombia, which has been friendly for years, is under strain in the aftermath of the Hamas attacks. President Gustavo Petro has also sharply criticized the Israeli government. After Israel’s Defense Minister described Hamas as “human animals” in his announcement of the siege of Gaza, Mr Petro said commented X that “This is what the Nazis said about the Jews.”
Last month, after Israel said it was cutting off exports of security products to Colombia over the comment – which was also roundly condemned by Holocaust memorial organizations such as the Simon Wiesenthal Center – Mr Petro said he was open to suspending relations with Israel, although he stopped doing so on Tuesday.
The Palestinian cause has long received strong support in Latin America and elsewhere in the developing world. The war in Gaza adds to the resentment there and to accusations that the West is applying a double standard in its approach to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.
Brazil is described as a kind of swing state in the developing world. This month, as holder of the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council, it drafted a resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza and condemning Hamas’ “heinous terrorist attacks.”
Brazil’s ambassador to the United Nations, Sérgio França Danese, expressed frustration when the United States vetoed the resolution because it did not mention Israel’s right to self-defense.
“Hundreds of thousands of civilians in Gaza cannot wait any longer,” he said. “They actually waited way too long.”
Julie Turkewitz reporting contributed.