(Note: The picture is of the Chliean Congress, which is in Valparaiso, not the capital, Santiago.)
If you think that American politics can be weird, then look at Chile, where Palestinian-Christians have outsized influence.
Source: The Times Chile
September 25, 2020
Translated by app.After an exhaustive investigation, the Embassy of Israel in Chile announces that the statements of Senator Alejando Navarro about the alleged destruction by Israel of 100,000 tests for Covid-19 destined for the Palestinian Authority, are absolutely false and lack any basis in reality
It is very regrettable that while the Middle East breathes airs of peace and cooperation, parliamentary authorities defend the most extreme positions, spreading fake news , inciting hatred and trying to delegitimize Israel.After an exhaustive investigation, the Embassy of Israel in Chile announces that the statements of Senator Alejando Navarro about the alleged destruction by Israel of 100,000 tests for Covid-19 destined for the Palestinian Authority, are absolutely false and lack any basis in reality
Senator Navarro is a left-wing politican.
This would be almost unheard of in the United States, but it is quite acceptable for Chilean politicians to attack Israel. Chile has no equivalent of AIPAC to insert the Israeli viewpoint into the political mainstream, rather it has a very well-educated, elite, and prosperous anti-Israel Palestinian-Chilean population who can exert influence above their numbers.
Chile does have a small Jewish community, but it does NOT have the population, nor the power, of Chile’s Palestinian community.
Some of the anti-Israel/Jewish comments coming from Chilean politicians can border on the bizarre. One of the most famous/nutty claims was that Israel wanted to take over Patagonia.
As noted, in other posts, Chile’s foreign policy in the Mideast is seriously influenced by its anti-Zionist Palestinian-Chileans, who, ironically, are almost totally Christian.