Full Breakdown
Latin America’s Authoritarian Right Deepens Ties with Israel Amid Gaza Conflict
8/16/2026, 11:07:12 AM
Diplomatic Realignment in Latin America
In the wake of the latest Gaza war—reported to have killed more than 70,000 people, nearly one-third of them children—the authoritarian right in several Latin American states has moved to strengthen formal relations with Israel. Colombia’s new president, Abelardo de la Espriella, reversed his predecessor’s severance of ties, announced the relocation of Colombia’s embassy to Jerusalem, and joined the United States in formally recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. Argentina’s ultraconservative Javier Milei has made close Israeli cooperation a hallmark of his foreign policy. Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro and El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele were early adopters of warmer ties, while Chile’s national-conservative José Antonio Kast seeks to revive defense cooperation.
Historical Context of Relations
The shift echoes earlier episodes of diplomatic rupture. A three-week Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip in 2009, which the report notes killed more than 1,400 people—including an estimated 1,100 civilians—prompted then-President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela to expel the Israeli ambassador and cut relations. Seventeen years later, Venezuela and Israel agreed to resume limited consular services, a step described as “symbolic” but previously unthinkable.
Key Actors
- Abelardo de la Espriella – President of Colombia; restored diplomatic ties, moving the embassy to Jerusalem and recognizing Israeli control of the Golan Heights.
- Javier Milei – President of Argentina; positions Israel as central to his foreign-policy identity.
- Jair Bolsonaro – Former President of Brazil; early promoter of closer Israel ties.
- Nayib Bukele – President of El Salvador; self-described “world’s coolest dictator,” aligned with Israel.
- Isaac Caro – Professor at Alberto Hurtado University (Chile); observes the right-wing trend toward Israel.
Official Statements & Responses
Political analyst Gilberto Aranda (University of Chile) linked the Latin American right’s alignment with Israel to a broader “trend … under Donald Trump,” suggesting a strategic signal of US-friendly orientation. Israeli scholar Daniel Wajner (Hebrew University of Jerusalem) described the diplomatic surge as offering “legitimacy, cooperation and influence” to both sides, noting ideological, religious, and strategic motives.
Verbatim Quotes
- “There is a trend toward rapprochement with Israel as a response to the surge of the radical right in the region,” — Isaac Caro, a professor at Alberto Hurtado University in Chile
- “The country with the most influence in the region, which maintains a critical stance toward Israel, is clearly Brazil,” — Aranda. Brazil's de, of new president
