Donald Trump's Latin America allies open arms to Israel
While the ongoing military actions in Gaza and settler attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank have largely isolated Israel globally, Latin America's authoritarian right sees an opening for a strategic alliance.
In 2009, Venezuela's Socialist president, Hugo Chavez, expelled Israel's ambassador in response to Israel's military offensive in Gaza, which killed over 1,400 people, including an estimated 1,100 civilians. Colombia's nationalist government, led by President Abelardo de la Espriella, reversed his predecessor's decision to sever diplomatic ties with Israel after the 2023 Gaza war, which claimed over 70,000 lives, mostly children.
Colombia has even announced that it will relocate its embassy to Jerusalem, joining the United States as one of the only two countries to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, a territory occupied by Israel since 1967. There is a growing trend of Latin American nations strengthening ties with Israel, driven by a response to the rise of the radical right in the region, a shared ideological and strategic alignment with the United States, and a desire for mutual economic, technological, and security cooperation.
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