Palestinians have found an ally in the indigenous peoples of Latin America. Over the last decade, indigenous movements have been among the most vocal supporters in the region of the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination. Bolivia’s Evo Morales, the first self-identified indigenous president in Latin America since colonization, has broken off diplomatic relations with Israel, endorsed the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, called Israel a “terrorist state,” and denounced Israeli “apartheid” and “genocide in Gaza.” No other Latin American head of state has gone so far in supporting the Palestinian cause.

Chile has the largest population of Palestinians outside the Arab world, and an unexpected ambassador of the struggle: the Deportivo Palestino football club.

Académicos y académicas de 14 países de América Latina se niegan a participar en intercambios académicos, colaborar o recibir fondos de instituciones israelíes cómplices del apartheid, como un acto de defensa de los derechos del pueblo palestino.

Although geographically distant, Argentina has a history of solidarity with Palestine. Before the approval of the UN Partition Plan for Palestine in 1947, the South American country was a contender as a possible location for a “national home for the Jews”. This idea appeared in Theodor Herzl’s The Jewish State published in 1896. Argentina was identified as one of the options for the Zionist project, along with Palestine, due to the fertility of its lands and its small population at that time.

On Tuesday, President Gustavo Petro announced the recall of Colombia's ambassador to Israel over the Israeli offensive in Gaza.

Latin American heads of state proclaimed the rights of Palestinians and called “for the necessity of establishing a free Palestinian state” at the United Nations General Assembly’s 78th Session. Held between 19-26 September, the UN meet brought together heads of government from around and heard the leaders of Chile, Cuba, Brazil, Bolivia and Colombia calling on “the United Nations to denounce the persecution” of Palestinians. The world’s youngest leader, Chilean President Gabriel Boric sounded the alarm on the violations of the Israeli occupation against Palestinian people. He urged the world to “not to remain silent when we see the illegal occupation of Palestine and the inability of Palestine to form a state. We must recognise their rights under international law.” Boric also called on member states to support the “establishment of an independent Palestinian State.”

The agreement was signed when President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva carried out the first trip by a Brazilian head of state to Palestine during the last year of his second term. President Lula, at the time, had taken many measures in favour of Palestine, including raising diplomatic representation between the two countries and giving a plot of land near the Brazilian presidential palace to the Palestinian embassy.

A delegation led by Palestinian Foreign Minister Malki met with Colombian President Petro and signed four bilateral agreements. On Wednesday, Colombia took another symbolic step in strengthening its diplomatic relations with Palestine through the inauguration of Bogota's Calle Estado Palestino.

Palestinian and Brazilian students have succeeded in stopping the head of the Zionist advocacy group StandWithUs Brazil, Andre Lajest, holding a talk at the Federal University of Amazonas (UFAM), Brazil. Known as a ferocious defender of Israel, Lajest’s visit caused anger students who described him as “one of the greatest defenders of Zionist politics and the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.” Students, labour unions and organisations and left-wing political parties united at the university entrance carrying Palestinian flags and ‘Free Palestine’ banners, and said they would not allow Brazilian universities to be used to support Israeli apartheid.

The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela decided, on Wednesday, to promote its diplomatic representation to the State of Palestine from a representative office to an Embassy, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry announced. In a statement issued Thursday, Palestinian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Riyad Al-Malki, welcomed the “historic decision”, saying it “builds on the historical relations that bind the two friendly countries and their peoples”, stressing that Venezuela always stands by the Palestinian people and considers the Palestinian cause to be at the core of its interests.

On Tuesday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Colombia expressed concern over the military operation carried out by the Israeli occupation forces in Jenin. The arrival of Leftist politician Gustavo Petro to the Colombian presidency has been reflected in a notable change in position regarding the conflict between Israel and Palestine.

In an interview with MEE, Colombia’s environment minister, Susana Muhamad, opens up about the Palestinian roots that shape her life and politics.

Re-published, with intro, in: Jewish Voice for Labour (18 June, 2023), click here!

The Spanish-language Twitter account for Palestine, “Palestino Hoy,” announced on Thursday that the Palestinian delegation in Mexico City will now be upgraded from a “Special Delegation” to a full embassy, after Mexico fully recognized the state of Palestine.

After years of economic fortune in the early 1990s, the Arab community fell into decline due to increased regulation of imports and border crossings. But now, it's steadily growing again.

Panamanian authorities on Thursday evening detained the President of the Brazil-Palestine Institute (IBRASPAL) Ahmed Shehada at Tocumen International Airport and withdrew his Brazilian passport, Brazilian media reported. Shehada was reportedly traveling to Columbia to participate in the second conference for the Palestinian Union in Latin America, taking place between March 17 and 19 in Barranquilla.

Latin American countries maintain Jerusalem’s ‘unilateral measures constitute serious violations of international law and the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council’.

Lula da Silva, the most famous politician leader in Latin America, has triumphantly returned as Brazil´s President for the third time in a ceremony held at the National Congress in Brasília. Just one day after left-wing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva took office in January, Brazil has announced a fundamental shift in its diplomacy toward the Palestinian cause, where it has topped again at the forefront of Brazil's political scene, after years of absence due to Bolsonaro's pro-Israel policy.

Bolsonaro was a strong supporter of Israel and friendly with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He visited Israel in 2019. During the October election, Bolsonaro’s wife Michelle voted in a T-shirt bearing the Israeli flag. The left-leaning Lula administration, on the other hand, has indicated it will take a relatively more pro-Palestine approach to the conflict.

Chile plans to open an embassy in the Palestinian territories, President Gabriel Boric said late on Wednesday, which could make the Andean country one of only a handful to have an embassy-level office in the territories that are contested with Israel.

While claiming to support accountability for Abu Akleh’s slaying, the Biden administration has deferred to Israel’s self-investigation mechanism, long discredited by international organizations and human rights groups. Israel announced the findings of its internal probe earlier this month, admitting that one of its soldiers is likely responsible for the journalist’s death.