El Salvador has about 100,000 Palestinians, in a country of six million people. Roughly 1.6% of the population. Yet, two of their recent presidents have been of Palestinian extraction.
Given the Palestinian tendency to success, that percentage should be big enough to influence the country’s foreign policy concerning the Mideast. Yet, it is not so.
Why?
Because in El Salvador, the Evangelical percentage (34%) of the population is closing in on the Catholic percentage (43%). Evangelicals in El Salvador take the faith more seriously, and that faith tends to lean to Christian Zionism.
On October 8 of last year, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele published a post on X outlining his position on Palestine. “As a Salvadoran of Palestinian ancestry, I’m sure the best thing that could happen to the Palestinian people is for Hamas to completely disappear. Those savage beasts do not represent the Palestinians,” he wrote. Drawing parallels between Hamas and gangs in El Salvador, Bukele continued: “It would be like if Salvadorans would have sided with MS13 terrorists, just because we share ancestors or nationality. The best thing that happened to us as a nation was to get rid of those rapists and murderers and let the good people thrive.” Bukele closed his post with a word of advice, drawing from his nearly 30-month long—and counting—assault against gangs. “Palestinians should do the same: get rid of those animals and let the good people thrive.”
The parallel drawn by Bukele between Hamas and MS13 derives from an evangelical Christian understanding of “terrorist” security threats as a spiritual contest between good and evil. Bukele uses biblical allegories, religious narratives, declarations of devotion, and visual propaganda leveraging sacred symbols to justify the country’s security policies, in addition to asserting the Salvadoran government’s unwavering support for Israel during its genocide of Palestinians.
As noted many times before, here in Latin Arabia, the biggest friend that Israel has in Latin America is Evangelical Christianity.
The President of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, is of Palestinian extraction – his ancestors arrived in El Salvador about a century ago – but his administration is pro-Israel. His father converted from Christianity to Islam, and his mother was Catholic. While he is ambivalent about his Christian denonimational affiliations, he seems to have picked up a lot of Evangelical practices.
Posted on YouTube: November 27, 2024
The growing Evangelical presence in El Salvador is what is overruling any power of a potential for a Muslim or Palestinian lobby.
Posted on YouTube: June 5, 2024
By that logic, what is needed for Chile to break the power of its Palestinian-Chilean (Chilestino) lobbies is an Evangelical revival. However, the Evangelical percentage of the population in Chile is somewhat small (18%) compared to the El Salvador percentage (34%).
What is an emerging conclusion is that anti-Zionism and antisemitism seem to follow left wing political attitudes in Latin America. And especially regarding Zionism, faith seems to trump ethnicity as well as politics.
Hannukah (Janucá) lighting in front of the Moneda (Chilean Presidential Palace)
Posted on YouTube: December 27, 2024
As the readers of this site have noticed, there are a lot of posts on this site about Chile. There is a reason for this.
Chile is very unique in Latin America.
A) Chile is considered a borderline First World Country in Latin America.
B) It is an economic powerhouse.
C) It has a well respected formidable navy.
D) Except for the Pinochet/Allende area, Chile has a history of stable democracy.
E) CHILE HAS A MASSIVE PALESITINIAN POPULATION (Chilestinos), about 500,000, who are elite.
So in many ways, it is Chile where the present public relations battles are fought in Latin America.
This site has shown you what Arab-Latinos often think.
Now, let’s take a look at what the Jews of Chile think.
The chief concern of Chile’s Jewish community is the Palestinian-Chilean (Chilestino) community.
Unknown to most Westerners is that Chile has the largest amount of Palestinians outside the Mideast. They are half a million in number, but unexpectedly, almost all are Christian: Eastern Christian or Catholic. Very few are Muslim.
SIDE NOTE:
Though most Palestinians are Muslim, the former rulers of the Holy Land, the Ottoman empire, persecuted Christians. Hence, when the Palestinians started moving to Chile in the 19th century, it was the Christians who left the Holy Land, while the Muslim Palestinians remained. Christian Arabs assimilated well into Chile, and they rose rapidly. Soon they were inviting other Christian Palestinians to come to Chile.
Yet, though the Chilestinos are Christians, they still have very strong anti-Israel sympathies.
Unlike America, where AIPAC has a powerful influence, in Chile, the Jewish community is relatively weak in numbers – estimates range from 16,000 to 20,000 Jews – and their political clout is minor compared to the Palestinian-Chilean (Chilestino) community. The Chilestinos outnumber the Jews by about 30 to 1.
Moreover, these Chilestinos are fantastically prosperous in Chile, so they punch will above their weight. They are overrepresented in the halls of power in Chile. There is not much of a brake on public anti-Israel sentiment.
So let’s look at what the Jewish community is Chile is up against.
A) A Palestinian-Chilean (Chilestino) community which outnumbers the Chilean Jews about 30 to 1.
B) These Chilestinos are very prosperous, and well-educated. So the usual Jewish social advantage in these areas does not apply in Chile.
C) The Chilestinos are very politically connected.
D) Because most Chilestinto are Christian, they otherwise blend into Chilean society.
Hence, the Jewish community in Chile is worried. (Click Here).
The Jews of Chile have been worried about local antisemitism for some time, but the present Gazan War – with its uptick in worldwide antisemitism – has made Chile’s Jews even more nervous. The significant protests against Israel by the Palestinian community in Chile have not helped.
The present Chilean government – at the time of this post – under President Gabriel Boric is hostile to Israel, and has joined in the genocide case against Israel in the International Court of Justice. This would be unthinkable in the United States.
Posted on YouTube: September 14, 2024
This is the opposite of America’s congress which has condemned the case against Israel.
WASHINGTON, Jan 9 (Reuters) – The U.S. House of Representatives voted on Thursday to sanction the International Criminal Court in protest at its arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister over Israel’s campaign in Gaza.
The vote was 243 to 140 in favor of the “Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act,” which would sanction any foreigner who investigates, arrests, detains or prosecutes U.S. citizens or those of an allied country, including Israel, who are not members of the court.
In the past, the Israeli government has sharply criticized the Chilean government.
Posted on YouTube: December 21, 2021
The Israeli news show (i24News) – in the video above – has rightly centered the problem on leftist ideology.
Were this Peru or Bolivia, no one would really care.
But Chile is fundamentally a Western nation, with a strong democratic tradition, religious tolerance, and a strong economy. The Chilean government is acting out of character for a Western nation.
Sadly, the Palestinian community (Chilestino) is so powerful that even right wing Chilean politicians have had to yield to it. Sebastian Pinera was a Chilean right-winger.
Chilean President Sebastian Pinera has expressed his support for efforts to establish a “free, independent, sovereign state” during a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
“Palestine has the right and the support of Chile to be a free, independent, sovereign and autonomous country, and the Palestinian people have the right to self-determination,” he said.
This has made things very dicey for Jewish-Chileans. As noted, this is not a recent development for Jewish-Chileans – as this five year old video shows, below – but it has gotton worse.
Posted on YouTube: July 9, 2020
So what is the prognosis?
Historically, the government of Chile has NOT been officially antisemitic. The government has shown great tolerance for Jews and Protestants.
In 1940, during World War 2, Chile took in Jewish refugees, when almost no one else in the world would. The son of one of those refugees became world famous. Mario Kreutzberger, better known as Don Francisco.
Posted on YouTube: August 26, 2015
So there are times when Chile has been generous to Jews. But tolerance for the Jewish religion in Chile does NOT translate into support for Zionism.
In 1947, the government of Chile wanted to vote, at the UN, for the Partition of Palestine in order to create a Jewish state. However, the Palestinian community interfered to demand that the Chilean government not approve of a Jewish state. So, at the last moment, the Chile delegation to the UN was told to abstain.
One member of the Chilean delegation resigned in protest over this.
In spite of his past record of goodwill toward Jewish aspirations, as president Videla gave in to the internal pressure of the Arab community (100,000 citizens of Arab descent lived in Chile at that time and were known for their financial and political influence) and instructed his delegation to the UN General Assembly to abstain from voting on the resolution to partition Palestine in 1947. Senator Humberto Alvarez, second-ranking member of this delegation, resigned in protest against that decision.
What is clear is that for eight decades, the Palestinian community in Chile, has had a near total lock on Chile’s foreign policies concerning the Mideast. This will probably not change any time soon.
Under Chile’s present leadership, the government’s anti-Zionist policies border on official antisemitism. Moreover, the Palestinian (Chilestino) Community has made a lot of allies, and they regularly engage in massive pro-Palestinian protests.
Posted on YouTube: October 10, 2024
Protests like that have to be troubling to the Chilean Jewish Community
A leftist mayor of the city of Recoleta in Chile, Daniel Jadue, the grandson of Palestinian immigrants to Chile, and a friend of President Boric, has a history of antisemitic comments.
Daniel Jadue, the mayor of Recoleta, outside of the capital of Santiago, made the comments last week while attending an event centered on Chilean journalist Pablo Jofré Leal’s book, “Zionism: The Ideology That Exterminates.” His comments were recorded on video, which he shared on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday.
“Being Jewish starts from a conception that has to do with the supremacist conception of being part of a chosen people, so, if you are already part of a chosen people you do not believe in the equality of all human beings before anything, right?” he said. “Well, here we are faced with an ideology that I believe is the most Nazi thing I have seen in my life.”
There is no call to hatred or violence. Chileans are NOT Nazis, but the Chilean president, Gabriel Boric, has insulted the Jewish community the past – by ingraciously commenting on a gift from the Jewish community, with criticism of Israeli policy.
This March 11, a new president took office in Chile. His name is Gabriel Boric. During the campaign, an old tweet of his reemerged : “The Jewish community of Chile sends me a small jar of honey for the Jewish New Year, reaffirming their commitment to “a more inclusive, supportive and respectful society. I appreciate the gesture but they could start by asking Israel to return the illegally occupied Palestinian territories.
La Comunidad Judía en Chile me envía un tarrito de miel por el año nuevo judio, reafirmando su compromiso cn "una sociedad más inclusiva, solidaria y respetuosa". Agradezco el gesto pero podrían partir por pedirle a Israel que devuelva el territorio palestino ilegalmente ocupado. pic.twitter.com/rtb1dt8QRP
There is a small Evangelical Community in Chile which supports Israel, but they have nowhere near the clout of the Chilestinos.
So Chilean Jews are not in immediate physical danger, but if the Chilean government keeps up its present policies and withering criticisms, the Jews of Chile will feel unwelcome, pack up their bags, and leave. Some of them already have.
I have edited and run this website, https://latinarabia.com, where I have discussed the history of Arab communities in Latin America for over twelve years. I get approximately 1000 plus visitors, 2000 plus views a week.
This website has become an authoritative source, even quoted in major newspapers (see below).
… the webmaster of LatinArabia.com, a website that chronicles the history of Arabs in Latin America, told International Business Times that at one point, 60 percent of all textiles manufactured in Chile were controlled by Palestinian-Chileans. …
When I started this website, the amount of information concerning Arabs in Latin America was pitifully small and limited in scope.
To correct this, I set about compiling a lot of data and information. At that time, this website was a trailblazer.
In due time, however, a lot of outside articles about Arabs in Latin America started to crop up on the internet – I suspect some of these outside stores were inspired by this website.
This website has covered Arabs in Latin America – and mentioned their histories, stories, and their views on the Mideast. However I studiously tried to avoid any bigotry. My chief goal was merely to provide reliable information of academic quality.
I also mentioned the concerns of Jewish communities in Latin America.
Many Jews in Latin America were/are concerned about antisemitism arising out of the Mideast conflict. Chile has come under the microscope, because of it large and influential Palestinian community, which supports Palestine and which distorts Chilean foreign policy.
Oddly, Argentina’s present government is very pro-Israel, and I have pointed that out as well.
This website was NEVER anti-Zionist. I merely discussed the Arabs in Latin America, and their attitudes towards the Mideast, occasionally mentioning Jewish concerns.
But I am getting older. This theme is not the friendliest, and could use a makeover. A lot of the internal links are done by hand. Moreover, I had to modify the css on the theme. In plain terms, this site could use a makeover.
I might consider turning this website over to a college (for free). There are over twelve years of work on it, and I have been told that some of this website’s work is of academic quality – by a lady who was going for her PhD. I have lots of demographics and history on the site.
However, given today’s hostile college atmosphere, I am afraid that it might go to some woke anti-Zionist history department.
Do you know of any Jewish or Christian university (or institution) in the USA – must be American – whom I could trust with this site?
I am considering turning it over to them for free. The domain latinarabia.com is worth something alone.
All I ask is that the college (or institution) be American, and that this website not go to hostile use. In other words, I do not want it going to an anti-Israel history department to be used for antisemitism.
This site was merely about history and academic concerns.
The college or group could be Jewish or Christian, but can not be hostile to Israel.
Do you know of any colleges which be interested.’
Thanks
Contact me. (Click Here)
You must be affiliated with a university or institution, and you must be willing to prove it.
Okay, this video from Deutsche Welle (German Wave/public TV) is roughly six months old, but it is noteworthy.
Posted on YouTube: July 3, 2024
Video can be auto-translated
1) Click Settings Wheel and choose Subtitles/CC.
2) Click to turn on: Spanish (auto-generated) .
3) Click – for a second time – to turn on: Subtitles/CC(1) Spanish (auto-generated) .
4) Click auto-translate.
5) Choose English – THIS CAN BE TRICKY – I suggest using up and down arrows to chose English, and then press Enter.
This can be very touchy, and you may have to play with it, but it works. Once you get the hang of it, you can turn the option on in a few seconds.
While here in America, the issue of the Palestinian-Chileans is rarely metioned, it is noted by broadcasters outside the USA.
Again, this is not a minor issue. The Palestinian-Chileans (Chilestinos) are an elite and politically powerful group in Chile. They have hijacked Chile’s Mideast foreign policy so that it is against Israel.
Chile is otherwise a democratic, First-World, Western nation, but when it comes to Israel and the Palestinians, it is an outlier from other Western countries, thanks to the Chilestinos.
