Latin America

The Present Crisis

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The Present Crisis

When I started this blog, about twelve years ago, it was more of a curiosity to me. I just wanted to explore the subcultural impact of Arabs in Latin America. I wanted to show the world the food, the music, and the dance that Arabs had brought to Latin culture.

AND IT WAS IMPRESSIVE!

However, there were times that events intruded into the exploration of the subculture. The continuing wars in Gaza always left a mark. But the present Gaza War is of an altogether different character.

Unlike much of the world, and much of the internet, my own sympathies tend to lie with Israel, but I am an American.

Latin America has tens of millions of citizens of Arab ancestry, and while almost all of those Arab-Latins are Christians, some have a pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel view. Chile, for example, has a massive Palestinian population which is very politically powerful, very hostile to Israel, and very influential. Oddly, these Chilean Palestinians are 99% Christian, yet sympathetic to the Islamic cause of Palestine in the Mideast.

To be sure, I am NOT putting down Latin-Arabs, most of whom are nice, but the media focuses on the loud protestors. And the Christians in Latin America forget that their ancestors often left the Mideast due to Muslim persecutions against Christians.

Thankfully, as a rule, Latins of Lebanese Maronite Christian ancestry do remember the predations of Islam; and they tend to avoid an anti-Israel sentiment. They can be a moderating force among other Latin-Arabs.

One has to remember that the pro-Palestinian elements may be loud and organized, but in Latin America there is a growing base of Evangelical Christians who are very pro-Israel. These will not make the headlines … but they vote and politicians have to take that bloc into account.


Posted on YouTube: November 13, 2023
Israel Receives Massive Support from Christians
(Can be auto-translated)

And what you have to also remember is that the general media often lies to you.

I am not saying Israel is perfect. WHAT NATION IS?!

But Hamas is a dark, vicious, terror group.

For example: This is floating on Twitter (X):

Some students in Argentina are pro-Palestinian. So what?!

The tweet does not tell the whole story concerning Argentina.

The President of Argentina, Javier Milei, is very pro-Israel, but the tweet does not mention that. Neither does the tweet mention that a large part of Argentina’s elite is Jewish.

Unlike the rest of Latin America, Argentina had a massive wave of Jewish immigration. It has greatly affected their culture.

So a few pro-Palestinian students in Buenos Aires are insignificant.

Likewise, Brazil’s Presicent Lula may be against Israel, but he knows his position is weak. He got elected by a questionable vote. His opponent was Jair Bolsonaro, a strong pro-Israel supporter. Massive sections of Brazil are Christian-Zionist.

Just remember that, even in Latin America, Israel has its supporters.

So media reports from South America may be out of sync with the underlying public opinion. While you may see supporters for Gaza in South America on the media, remember that these reports may be biased.

Jews in Latin America Feel Unsafe

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Jews in Latin America Feel Unsafe

As noted, Latin America has an enormous population of Arab descent. Many of these Arab-Latins are NOT taking the news from Gaza that well, particularly in Chile where there is a large properous elite of Christian-Palestinian descent, the Chilestinos.


Posted on YouTube: March 25, 2024

The backlash is exacerbating antisemitism in Latin America. It is gathering attention.

Source: To fight antisemitism in Latin America, one must recognize it – opinion
Jerusalem Post
Joseph Bouchard, Garion Frankel
April 9, 2024

Latin America has long nurtured an antisemitic underbelly that has drawn scant international media attention, even after the October 7 attacks. Latin America is home to approximately 500,000 Jews, including nearly 200,000 in Argentina alone. In Brazil, antisemitic attacks have risen by nearly 1,000% since October 7.

…

In Peru, right-wing extremists targeted a prominent Peruvian Jewish journalist by screaming antisemitic chants outside his home, including showing posters of rats holding bags of money.

In Nicaragua, Jewish cemeteries have been vandalized and desecrated. Vicente Fox, Mexico’s former president, accused presidential candidate Claudia Sheinbaum – who has Jewish parents – of being “a Jew and foreigner at the same time.”

…

In the past, such antisemitism has moved from words to murder.

…

Shortly after Israel began its defense, Colombia, Honduras, Mexico, and Chile recalled their ambassadors from the region. Bolivia cut off diplomatic relations with Israel, accusing the nation of crimes against humanity.

Of course, this has to stop. Individual Jews should NOT feel threatened.

Chile’s Palestinians Are Fighting Mad

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Chile’s Palestinians Are Fighting Mad


Posted on YouTube: November, 2023

Source: ‘Chilestinian’ resistance: how Chile became home to half a million Palestinians
The Week
By Rebekah Evans, THE WEEK, UK
November 20, 2023

Chile has become one of the “loudest regional voices” in Latin America condemning Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, said NBC.

“Roots run deep” in Chile for the Palestinian community, with immigration to the nation beginning in the late 19th century, “when Christians fled the faltering Ottoman Empire”, the broadcaster explained.

Despite most Chileans with Palestinian heritage identifying as Christian, this in “no way diminishes the national feeling” of support for the majority-Muslim state, the Morning Star said.

Support for Palestinians has extended outside of Chilean politics, seeping into other influential spheres in the South American nation.

1) There are roughly 500,000 Chileans of Palestinians descent, called Chilestinos in Spanish (Chilestinians in English).

2) They shape the opinion of Chile’s national media.

3) They have influenced the Chilean government to recall its ambassador from Israel.

4) With Chile’s population at 19.5 million, the Palestinians are a little under 3% of Chile’s total population, however they are over half of the Arab population in Chile, so they set the tone for the Arab community … unlike in many other Latin countries where the Arab demographic is titled towards moderate Lebanese Maronites (Catholics).

5) Though the Chilestinians are Christian in the vast majority – about 99% Christian – that does not stop them from identifying with the Palestinian cause, which is heavily Muslim influenced — even though their ancestors fled Palestine to Chile in order to escape the persecution of Christians under the Muslim Ottomam Turks.

6) Many are third- and fourth-generation Chilean, but have risen to be elites.

7) Elites does not capture the full sense of their power. One family, the Yarur family, were industrialists that once produced 60 per cent of Chile’s textiles.

8) They have an elite social club in the capital – see video below.


Posted for YouTube: June 19, 2020

9) They were esconced in a major Santiago business district, the Patronato.


Posted on YouTube: 2013

And now, having reached the top, they pressure the government.

Source: ‘Chilestinian’ resistance: how Chile became home to half a million Palestinians
The Week
By Rebekah Evans, THE WEEK, UK
November 20, 2023

[F]or Chilean Palestinians, the fight will not stop until the people of Palestine are liberated. The community is “clamoring” for a ceasefire, said NBC, holding rallies and pushing for boycotts, as the conflict continues.

They are fighting mad as this tweet (below) from The Palestinian Community of Chile shows:

Roughly translated: 60% of the housing in the Gaza Strip is destroyed.

The power of the Chilestinos resembles the power of the Jewish community in America, as the Jerusalem Post has noted.

Source: Police in Chile guard Jews after anti-Semitic attacks
By Gil Stern, Stern Shefler
August 18, 2010
Jerusalem Post

Public opinion in Chile is often influenced by the country’s politically powerful 200,000 Palestinian immigrants and their descendents.

“The Palestinian community is to Chile what the Jewish community is to the US,” [The president of Chile’s Jewish community, Gabriel] Zaliasnik explained.

[My Note: The Palestinians are closer to 500,000 in number]

This is dramatic to watch.

Chiles is a first world country, but the Chilestino demographic has hijacked the nation’s government so that Chile acts in contradiction to its otherwise first world interests in this matter. Most first world countries support Israel, whether strongly or lukewarmly; but few support Palestine.

The effect is compounded in every aspect of the culture in Chile, which for example has a professional soccer team called Palestino.


Posted on YouTube: Mar 2, 2015

The documentary above (this is a teaser) is Cuatro Colores (Four Colors), which is named after the the four colors of the Palestinian flag [red, green, black, white], and the four colors of the professional soccer team, Palestino, in Santiago Chile.

The Chilestinos have an outsized influence on Chile’s culture, commerce, industry, banking, sports, and politics. They have held Chile’s foreign policy hostage for decades. In many ways, they have Palestinianized Chile.

1 January 2024 – Edited: cleaned things up and added more info.

Evangelicals versus Iran in Latin America

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Evangelicals versus Iran in Latin America


Posted on YouTube: November 13, 2023

Iran’s influence is continuing to grow, not only in the support of Hezbollah operatives, but especially through the netcasting and broadcasting of HispanTV, which sends out Iranian propaganda to the continent. And Iran assists the dictatorial regime in Venezuela.

Source: Why Iran’s Growing Influence in Venezuela Challenges the West
VOA
Michael Lipin
March 11, 2023

WASHINGTON —
Iran is striving to expand its influence in fellow U.S. adversary Venezuela, which is hosting an Iranian cultural fair this week and seeking Iranian assistance to revive the ailing Venezuelan energy industry.

…

(Read More)

Iran is troublemaking in the Western Hemisphere, particularly in this area of propaganda.

Whatever one thinks of pro-Jewish or pro-Israel lobbies in the United States, they are an antidote to some really ugly antisemitic disinformation out there. Indeed, Latin America is often drenched with anti-Israel agitprop that would not have been tolerated in the USA, until recently, which is a sad commentary on recent developments.

The anti-Israel indoctrination that America is sadly seeing now, Latin America has been drenched with for a long time.

Yet, oddly, Iran’s influence is more political than religious.

Why not religious?

Because Islam is being countered in Latin America – not by Jewish influence, as the Jewish population is usually small – but rather by a large and growing Evangelical Christian movement.

In Brazil, the population is 31% Evangelical.
In El Salvador, the population is 40% Evangelical — more than Catholics.
In Guatemala, the population is 40% Evangelical.
In Honduras, the population is 40% Evangelical.
In Chile, the population is 18% Evangelical.
In Argentina, the population is 15% Evangelical.

These Evangelicals tend to be very pro-Zionist.

So Iran’s influence is limited to the political arena, which is scary enough, though even in politics, the Evangelical church is competing successfully.

In the case of Chile and Brazil, the growing Evangelical power base has not stopped the governments from criticizing Israel, but it will prevent some of the Latin governments from going too far.

In one nation, Guatemala, the Evangelicals have made the country very friendly to Israel.


Posted on YouTube: February 18, 2022

El Salvador is particularly interesting, as it has an influential Palestinian (chiefly Christian) minority population. The Palestinian Christians tend to be more Catholic or Eastern Orthodox, though.


Posted on YouTube: May 26, 2019

Their present president, Nayib Bukele, is of Palestinian origin, yet somewhat pro-Israel.

So the Evangelicals are winning.

December 22, 2023 — major rewrite and title change.

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