By Jiang Shixue

The ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict has claimed over ten thousand lives, and the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip raises serious concerns globally. After forcibly separated the north and south of the Gaza Strip, the Israeli military showed no sign of cessation at all, which invited condemnation from an increasing number of countries. Even the White House issued a warning on November 7 regarding Israel's post-war plans for Gaza, expressing the view that the Israeli military should not occupy Gaza.

Amid the condemnation of Israel, the diplomatic actions taken by Latin American countries have been notably conspicuous. For example, on October 31, Bolivia announced the severance of diplomatic relations with Israel, while Chile, Colombia, and Honduras recalled their respective ambassadors from Israel. In addition, countries such as Brazil, Argentina, Peru, and Mexico condemned Israel's prolonged and intense airstrikes on refugee camps in the Gaza Strip in various ways.

Over the years, the relations between Israel and Latin American countries have been intricate and complex. From the perspective of Israel, on the one hand, Israel strongly objects to some Latin American countries allowing Nazi perpetrators of the Holocaust to live freely. On the other hand, due to Arab countries' reluctance to export oil to Israel, Israel had to import oil from oil-rich Latin American countries. This love-hate relationship might explain why Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu didn't make an official visit to Latin America until September 2017.

Faced with the current Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the diplomatic actions taken by Latin American countries such as Bolivia, Chile, and Colombia against Israel can be attributed to several factors:

Firstly, the US has long been favoring Israel. Those Latin American countries that take punitive diplomatic measures against Israel are generally governed by left-wing governments. One characteristic of the left-wing leaders in Latin America is their courage to say no to the US, for instance, they strongly opposed the US's veto of the UN Security Council resolutions calling for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Palestine. On major issues such as opposing hegemony and advocating for a new type of international relations, Latin American countries have obvious divergence with the US and Israel.

Secondly, some Latin Americans have lost their lives in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. According to reports, over a dozen Latin Americans working or traveling in Israel have died in the conflict, with over ten others reported missing. News of this kind has attracted great attention in Latin America. Consequently, the majority of Latin Americans hope for effective UN mediation to achieve an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire between Israel and Palestine. However, Israel, citing "counterterrorism" reasons, has launched strong military attacks on the Gaza Strip, fueling widespread dissatisfaction in Latin America.

Thirdly, Latin America has a staunch anti-war stance. Throughout the 20th century, Latin America stood out as one of the few continents that did not experience war. As a result, the region highly values peace. When the US invaded Iraq in 2003, many Latin American countries expressed strong opposition. Mexico and Chile, both non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council at the time, expressed regret over the failure to resolve the Iraq issue diplomatically within the UN framework and criticized the use of force by the US and the UK. Gallup poll results at the time indicated that 83% of Argentinians opposed any military action against Iraq under any circumstances. Among the 41 countries surveyed across five continents, Argentina had the highest anti-war sentiment.

In the face of Latin America's stance, some Israeli media outlets believe that the left-wing wave in Latin America poses a danger to Israel's relations with the region. Some Arab countries' media also point out that if Israel fails to cease fire immediately, the anti-American and anti-Israel camp in Latin America may continue to expand.

Indeed, a few Latin American countries have expressed sympathy for Israel, with El Salvador and Uruguay even supporting Israel's so-called "anti-terrorism" actions. However, the stance of most Latin Americans on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the changing dynamics of Israel-Latin America relations clearly indicate two points: firstly, the days when Latin America looked to the US as a leader are long gone, and secondly, the necessity of building a community with a shared future for humanity and the urgency of creating a lasting and peaceful world are undeniable.

(The author is a distinguished professor at Shanghai University.)

Editor's note: Originally published on huanqiu.com, this article is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information and opinions in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.