As foreign elections shape Israel’s alliances, Jerusalem seeks to control the diplomatic whiplash
DIPLOMATIC AFFAIRS: Latin America and Slovenia are examples of countries’ shifting ties with Israel that reflect how relations have become an ideological marker in domestic politics.
Foreign elections have a profound impact on Israel's diplomatic alliances, with Jerusalem seeking to control the diplomatic shifts. Consider the case of Colombia, which recognized Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights just three days after the inauguration of its new right-wing president. This move makes Colombia only the second country, after the US, to do so.
Meanwhile, Colombia was firmly in the anti-Israel camp under its previous left-wing president, who reversed strong Israeli-Colombian ties, suspended purchases of Israeli arms, banned coal exports to Israel, and severed diplomatic relations.
Similarly, Slovenia flipped from recognizing a Palestinian state to supporting Israel's rapprochement in the EU. Its new right-wing government revoked restrictions on arms trade, moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and Israel reciprocated by opening its first embassy in Ljubljana. In Venezuela, the change was due to a regime change and broader alliances, with Hugo Chávez severing relations with Israel in 2009 and restoring consular services following the interim government's turn toward Washington.
Brazil moved toward Israel under Jair Bolsonaro, backed away under Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and may change direction again in October, when Lula faces Bolsonaro's son Flávio. Hungary also shifted its stance, with Péter Magyar's defeat of Viktor Orbán leading to Hungary's reversal of its planned withdrawal from the ICC. The shifts in foreign policy are often rapid, sweeping, and symbolic due to Israel becoming an ideological marker in the domestic politics of other countries.
For populist right-wing leaders, supporting Israel is central to a nationalist identity, while anti-Israel sentiment is a telltale sign of progressive identity for many in the global left.
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