Bolivia’s foreign ministry accused Israel of a desire to divide South American countries.
The Bolivian Foreign Ministry denied on Wednesday allegations by the Israeli ambassador in Costa Rica that it hosts Iranian and Hezbollah bases in the country, urging countries in South America not to yield to such claims and be divided, Middle East Monitor, (MEMO) reported.
Bolivia’s announcement came in response to allegations made by the Israeli Ambassador in Costa Rica, Mijal Gur Aryeh, on Monday that there are “other countries in the region that have Iranian and Hezbollah bases, particularly Venezuela and Bolivia.”
According to MEMO, the Israeli ambassador presented neither evidence nor specific details to her claims.
“Bolivia is a pacifist state that promotes the culture of peace, which is why it has constitutionally assumed the prohibition of installing foreign military bases in its territory,” Bolivia’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
La Paz labeled the Israeli ambassador’s statement as “irresponsible, unfounded, and self-serving.”
It urged in the statement all South American nations “not to fall into these provocations that seek to affect the relations of brotherhood between states and peoples of the region.”
ULTIMA HORA!#EEUU e #Israel están derrotados en el Medio Oriente. Quieren trasladar los conflictos hacia América Latina con la justificación de enfrentar a Hezbollah en Venezuela, Nicaragua y #Bolivia.
Medios fascistas ya mueven las Fake News para justificar la escalada. pic.twitter.com/JRbUKeD5YF— BolivianoInsurgente (@cuba_bolivia) October 22, 2024
The foreign ministry of Bolivia slammed the Israeli ambassador’s announcement stressing that her declaration aimed at dividing the ranks of the South American countries.
The ambassador’s comments “seek to generate confrontation between Latin American states, governments and peoples, against the objective outlined in the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) of consolidating Latin America and the Caribbean as a zone of peace,” the statement read as quoted by MEMO.
Bolivia in Support of Gaza
The government of Bolivia was one of the first countries to cut diplomatic ties with Israel last year, accusing Tel Aviv of committing crimes against humanity in the besieged enclave.
It also joined tens of countries to submit filings to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue arrest warrants against Israeli leaders.
In July, the International Criminal Court (ICC) accepted the requests of more than 60 states, organizations, and individuals to intervene in Prosecutor Karim Khan’s application to issue arrest warrants for top Israeli and Hamas officials, reportedly slowing down the process on the matter.
This means that “an ICC decision to grant or reject the arrest warrants will be significantly delayed, likely by several months,” according to The Times of Israel.
The US, Germany, Palestine, Norway, Ireland, Czech Republic, Ireland, Spain, Brazil, Argentina, South Africa, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Colombia, Chile and Mexico (jointly), Union of Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo and Djibouti were among the states whose filings were accepted.
Genocide Continues
Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza.
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 42,847 Palestinians have been killed, and 100,544 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7, 2023.
Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Later in the war, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians began moving from the south to central Gaza in a constant search for safety.
(MEMO, PC)
