In October of 2024, a Jewish woman was sworn in as the President of Mexico. But do not think that the Jewish community in Mexico is thrilled about her.
After Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo emerged victorious in Sunday’s election to become Mexico’s first female president-elect, many focused on a second milestone – the scientist-turned-politician will be Mexico’s first Jewish president.
But, according to members of Mexico City’s Jewish community who spoke to The Times of Israel after her win, the president-elect has distanced herself from them, and her triumph does not engender much excitement among her fellow Jews.
“I think that the main issue in the election, even for the Jewish community, was not her Jewishness, but her political views,” Daniel Fainstein, the dean of Jewish Studies at the Hebraica University in Mexico City, told The Times of Israel.
However, rather than being a strong supporter of Israel, President Sheinbaum pursues a more neutral policy. Her administration will probably not change Mexico’s policies towards the Mideast.
At this point, when the Israeli government has no intention of ever granting independence to the Palestinians (rightly or wrongly), Mexico’s position is not exactly welcome to pro-Israeli advocates. (This is merely an observation, not a critique.)
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has called for the recognition of the state of Palestine alongside Israel, reaffirming her country’s longstanding position on the matter.
In a statement on Saturday, reported by Revista Proceso, she declared, “We condemn the aggressions that are being experienced and also consider that the state of Palestine must be recognized in its entirety just like the State of Israel. This has been Mexico’s position for many years, and that is the position we have. We search for peace above all.”
…
Sheinbaum, known for her leftist political stance and European Jewish ancestry, has declared her atheism, as reported by Sky News Arabia. She has a history of criticizing Israeli actions in Gaza, including a public letter in January 2009 where she criticized a previous Israeli operation in the coastal enclave.
It turns out that Rashida Tlaib has gotten a write up in a Chilean magazine Al-Damir – which means “the conscience” in Arabic – that caters to the Palestinian community in Chile.
NOTE: I am sure that Congresswoman Tlaib has no connection to the article at all in the Chilean magazine. I doubt the Congresswoman is even aware of it. I just find it fascinating that Palestinian-Chileans find her newsworthy.
Palestinian-born Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib who –last July – held a message calling Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu «guilty of genocide », as the leader spoke before Congress of United States, this week has achieved a victory by defeating his Republican opponent in the Michigan Congress 12th district elections, thereby ensuring a fourth term as the only Palestinian-American woman in the United States Congress.
Source: The Media Line (When I tried to relink to the article, the original source had put it behind a paid firewall)
According to official sources, the stated aim of the foundation (translated as “Palestine-Bethlehem 2000”) is to provide “scholarships, medical and economic aid to the Palestinian Authority.” Yet, a Chilean government source described the organization to The Media Line (TML) as a lobby. The Anti-Semitism and Racism Institute claims that this foundation is the chief fund-raising organization in Chile for the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Wealthy Palestinians from the Chilean community support the fund, which publishes the monthly journal, A-Damir. In celebration of its first anniversary on June 25, 2002, the foundation organized an event, attended by more than 1,000 invitees that included ministers, Members of Parliament, clerics, army officers and judges. Minister of the Interior Jose Miguel Insulza and Government-Secretary Heraldo Muoz both posed for a photograph, wearing a kafiyah decorated with a map depicting a Palestinian state that encompassed land that today is the entire state of Israel.
A Chilean source connected to the Chilean Intelligence Agency (CIA) told TML that this particular fund managed to collect $6m in one year, but that the funds do not always find their way to needy Palestinians. Instead, much of the money goes to charities identified with Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist organization.
(emphasis mine)
However, the Palestine-Bethlehem 2000 foundation did garner support from Chilean politicians; and a lot of American and European companies have bought advertising in its magazine (Al Damir) in the past, so that questionable connection might be a minor issue; if it is even an issue at all. Though it was once published in a glossy version, Al Damir now seems to be focused on its online website presence.
NOTE: Al Damir listed its distribution here (below); but, as noted, that information seems to be dated, and it looks like the glossy magazine may be out of print, with the emphasis now being placed on that online website presence.
· Bimonthly publication (January, April, June, August, October and December).
60 – 64 pages
· Interiors: glossy couche paper 90 gr.
· Cover and back cover, glossy couche paper 170 gr.
· Free distribution
· Since 2010 associated with ANP
· Projected reading 20,000
· Free distribution
· 8,000 copies digital version
See article, here on Latin Arabia, to find more background information.
What is clear is that the Palestinian-Chilean community has/had enough wealth and clout to publish a magazine and attract major advertisers to it.
This is a video (below) of the sign display by Congresswoman Tlaib that the Al Damir website article refers to.
Posted on YouTube: July 24, 2024
Al Damir commends Rashida’s behavior.
As one would expect, among Israeli advocates, in this case a gentleman from Britain, Joseph Cohen, Rashida Tlaib is not thought well of.
Posted on YouTube: January 9, 2019
Well, I guess you can’t please everybody.
Even though I am a mild Christian Zionist, I will make no comment about Representative Tlaib in this post, except to note that apparently she is a hero to Palestinians everywhere – even in Chile.
Whether that is good or not, I leave to the reader.
November 22, 2024 – Edited – Added a blockquote. Added emphasis. Noted that a blockquote source link is now behind firewall. Added notes and caution.
If you are like most Americans (or Europeans), you probably know very little about Chile. The Arabs, however, know a lot about Chile. If Sicilians, Greeks and Dubliners want to move to New York, the Arabs want to move to South America. Chile is particularly interesting to Palestinian Arabs as the largest number of Palestinians, outside the Mideast, lives in Chile.
Very interesting Arabic language videos about Chile. I do not speak Arabic, so I use a translation app, which you can get (Here). It’s free.
DO YOU KNOW WHAT IS THE STATE OF CHILE … GO TO CHILE
Posted on YouTube: September 27, 2016
Look at comments in Arabic under the video (Click Here). The app can translate them for you. You will notice that Chile beckons large in the Arab mind.
The reason Chile is not overrun with Arabs is that it sets high barriers for immigrants, but still Chile is five percent (5%) Arabic in ancestry, and they are a very powerful constituency.
This next video below is a set of reasons why Arabs should consider migrating to Chile. Unfortunately, the translation app does not translate writing on video.
Why is Chile so attractive to Arabs?
Central Chile has a sort of subtropical Mediterranean Climate very similar to coastal Israel (Palestine), Lebanon, Syria, or North Africa – well, except for the cold ocean water; the Mediterranean is much warmer than the Humboldt Current off of Chile. Other than that, the climate is identical. Perfect for Arabs. And there is an internationally well known (At least to Latinos and Arabs) Palestinian community in Chile. Very powerful and rich.
South America has a history of absorbing Arabs well.
A VIDEO IN ARABIC ON WHY ONE SHOULD CONSIDER MOVING TO CHILE
Posted on YouTube: June 29, 2018
And, this is not just Chile. Argentina, Venezuela, Colombia, and Brazil all have large Arab constituencies.
This can no longer be ignored. The Arabs and Latins are well aware of each other and are starting to form trading blocs.
The idea of a Latin American-Arab summit started 10 years ago thanks to Lula da Silva, Brazil’s former president. However, until now only four summits have taken place, the last in Riyadh. There is a lot in common in the histories of Arab and Latin American countries. Both were subjected to harsh colonialism, and much of the colonial legacy and its memory continue to this day.
Note: The writer underestimates the number of Arabs in South America. It is around 25 milllion, not 15. One has to remember that many Lebanese Christians will often not self-identify as Arabs. This can lead to very odd results where demographics may list the Lebanese as outnumbering the Arabs in a given country.
This site is set up so my fellow Americans (and Westerners) can apprise themselves of what is really going on …
DOWN SOUTH AMERICAN WAY!
May 12, 2017 – Edited: Moved here, from a front page post. November 24, 2017 – Edited: Had to replace a dead video link.. July 3, 2020 – Edited: Had to replace a dead video link, again. November 19, 2024 – Re-dated – converted from page to post.
Arabic numerals were neither invented by nor used by the Arabs. They were developed in India by the Hindus c. 600 A.D. These numbers were written backwards, thus one hundred twenty three was written 321.
Around 750 AD, this system of decimal arithmetic was brought to Persia when several important Hindu works were translated into Arabic. In the cultural diffusion of the numeral system to Europe, the method of writing numbers became reversed to the present method.
Now, Arabs are rather smart; but in this case, our Western numeral system was invented by Hindus. The Arabs were between Europe and India, so the knowledge of the numeral system was diffused through the Arab world. Hence, it was misnamed the Arabic Numeral System.
The name “algebra” does come from Arabic. However, it may have been invented by Babylonians, Greeks, and Persians (the Persians were Muslim by that time).
