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 severed diplomatic relations with Israel after expelling its ambassador in protest of Israel's three-week military offensive in Gaza, which reportedly killed over 1,400 people, including an estimated 1,100 civilians. Seventeen years later, both countries have agreed to establish a mechanism for the resumption of consular services.
Colombia, under the nationalist government of President Abelardo de la Espriella, has reversed the decision made by his predecessor, Gustavo Petro, to sever diplomatic ties with Israel in response to the war in Gaza that claimed over 70,000 lives, nearly a third of them children. Colombia plans to relocate its embassy to Jerusalem and has declared its intention to join the United States as the only two countries recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which Syria has claimed as its territory since 1967.
While many nations, including Germany and the UN, do not acknowledge this annexation, Latin American governments appear to be warming towards Israel due to a surge in authoritarianism and a desire to align with the United States.
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