Chile–Israel relations
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Chile–Israel relations refers to the
bilateral Bilateral may refer to any concept including two sides, in particular: *Bilateria, bilateral animals *Bilateralism, the political and cultural relations between two states *Bilateral, occurring on both sides of an organism ( Anatomical terms of l ...
and diplomatic ties between
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
and
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
. Chile recognized Israel's independence in February 1949. Both countries established diplomatic relation on 16 May 1950, with Israel sending their first ambassador on that date and Chile sending their first ambassador on 16 June 1952. Chile has an embassy in
Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the ...
. Israel has an embassy in
Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whos ...
.


Diplomatic visits

In November 1983, Chilean Foreign Minister Miguel Schweitzer Walters visited Israel. The Israeli Attorney General
Yitzhak Zamir Yitzhak Zamir (Hebrew: יצחק זמיר) (born in Poland on April 15, 1931) is a professor of public law and Dean of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem's Faculty of Law, a former Attorney General of Israel, first Dean of the University of Haifa's ...
raised the issue of extraditing suspected Nazi war criminal
Walter Rauff Walter (Walther) Rauff (19 June 1906 – 14 May 1984) was a mid-ranking SS commander in Nazi Germany. From January 1938, he was an aide of Reinhard Heydrich firstly in the Security Service (''Sicherheitsdienst'' or ''SD''), later in the Reich Sec ...
. Walters said he could not extradite Rauff due to Chilean statute of limitations. In 1984, a further request was made by the Director General of the Israeli Foreign Ministry for Rauff's extradition to Chilean Foreign Minister Jaime del Valle. Del Valle stated that it would be "inappropriate" to expel Rauff. Former
Prime Minister of Israel The prime minister of Israel ( he, רֹאשׁ הַמֶּמְשָׁלָה, Rosh HaMemshala, Head of the Government, Hebrew acronym: he2, רה״מ; ar, رئيس الحكومة, ''Ra'īs al-Ḥukūma'') is the head of government and chief exec ...
Golda Meir Golda Meir, ; ar, جولدا مائير, Jūldā Māʾīr., group=nb (born Golda Mabovitch; 3 May 1898 – 8 December 1978) was an Israeli politician, teacher, and '' kibbutznikit'' who served as the fourth prime minister of Israel from 1969 to ...
visited Chile with her Foreign Affairs Minister Shimon Peres and March 2005 saw the first official visit to Israel when
Minister of Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between co ...
Ignacio Walker made the trip with a delegation. In June 2019, Chilean President
Sebastián Piñera Miguel Juan Sebastián Piñera Echenique OMCh (; born 1 December 1949) is a Chilean billionaire businessman and politician who served as president of Chile from 2010 to 2014 and again from 2018 to 2022. The son of a Christian Democratic polit ...
made a visit to Israel. During the visit he met Israeli President
Reuven Rivlin Reuven "Ruvi" Rivlin ( he, רְאוּבֵן "רוּבִי" רִיבְלִין ; born 9 September 1939) is an Israeli politician and lawyer who served as the tenth president of Israel between 2014 and 2021. He is a member of the Likud party. R ...
and Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu (; ; born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician who served as the ninth prime minister of Israel from 1996 to 1999 and again from 2009 to 2021. He is currently serving as Leader of the Opposition and Chairman of ...
. During his visit president Piñera praised “long history of friendship and collaboration” between Chile and Israel.


Military collaboration

The Military and Naval Attaché and Defense and Air Attaché offices as part of the Chilean Embassy to Israel seek to maintain and increase the bonds with the
Israeli Defence Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branch ...
"in order to make knowledge, training and experiences exchange possible" and increase "the military bonds between the Ministry of Defense and its Israeli counterpart, in order to comply with the Chilean Foreign and Defense Policy". In 1981, Chile purchased 150 M-51 Sherman tanks from Israel Military Industries. Later in 1988, the Chilean Government, together with the Israeli Government and the
US State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other nati ...
, blocked the transfer of F5 fighter jets from Chile to Iran in return for the potential release of four American hostages. Israel is a major supplier of
military hardware Military technology is the application of technology for use in warfare. It comprises the kinds of technology that are distinctly military in nature and not civilian in application, usually because they lack useful or legal civilian applicatio ...
to the
Chilean Armed Forces The Chilean Armed Forces ( es, Fuerzas Armadas de Chile) is the unified military organization comprising the Chilean Army, Air Force, and Navy. The President of Chile is the commander-in-chief of the military, and formulates policy through the Mi ...
. In 1993, the IAI Phalcon system was sold to the
Chilean Air Force "With full speed to the stars" , colours = Indigo White , colours_label = , march = Alte Kameraden , mascot = , anniversaries = 21 March ...
. In 2002, Chilean Air Force selected Israeli military manufacturer RADA Electronic Industries for the supply of an advanced digital debriefing solution for its new F-16 C/D aircraft purchase. In December 2010, Israel's three major manufacturers of unmanned air vehicles submitted proposals in a bid to for the Chilean Air Force.


Israeli assistance

Following the 1965 Chile earthquake, the Israeli Government offered medical equipment and supplies. Following the
2010 Chile earthquake The 2010 Chile earthquake and tsunami ( es, Terremoto del 27F) occurred off the coast of central Chile on Saturday, 27 February at 03:34 local time (06:34 UTC), having a magnitude of 8.8 on the moment magnitude scale, with intense shaking l ...
, the Israeli Government released a statement stating "Israel stands by the Chilean government and people and wishes to send its condolences to the victims' families and offer its support to the residents at this trying time". The Israeli Government offered medical and engineering aid to Chile. Israeli company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems loaned the Chilean Air Force two unmanned aerial vehicles to help assess post earthquake damage.


Bilateral agreements

Since 1953, Israel and Chile have signed numerous bilateral agreements: * Agreement on Cultural Exchange (1953) * Agreement on Scientific and Technical Cooperation (1965) * Agreement on Peaceful Use of Nuclear Energy (1965) * Agreement on Amateur Radio Operators (1982) * Arrangement on Air Services within and beyond the respective borders (1982) * Commercial and Economic Cooperation Agreement (1982) * Executive Program of Cultural Exchange (1983) * CONAF – Keren Kayemet Leisrael Agreement on Cooperation and Forest Technical Assistance (1983) * Agreement on Tourist Cooperation (1986) * Agreement on Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Control (1993) * Agreement on Visa Exemption in Diplomatic, Official, Special and Service Passports (1994) * Agreement on Cultural, Scientific and Technical Cooperation (1995) * Joint Commission on Culture, held in Jerusalem (1996) * Agreement on Remunerated Activities for Relatives of a Diplomatic Mission or Consular Representation (2007) * Memorandum of Understanding on the Establishment of Bilateral Consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Chile and Israel (2007) * Cooperative forestry agreement. (1993) In October 2010, Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu (; ; born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician who served as the ninth prime minister of Israel from 1996 to 1999 and again from 2009 to 2021. He is currently serving as Leader of the Opposition and Chairman of ...
invited Chilean President
Sebastián Piñera Miguel Juan Sebastián Piñera Echenique OMCh (; born 1 December 1949) is a Chilean billionaire businessman and politician who served as president of Chile from 2010 to 2014 and again from 2018 to 2022. The son of a Christian Democratic polit ...
to Israel for the signing of a
free trade agreement A free-trade agreement (FTA) or treaty is an agreement according to international law to form a free-trade area between the cooperating states. There are two types of trade agreements: bilateral and multilateral. Bilateral trade agreements occ ...
between the two countries.


Security incidents

In 2009, a bullet was fired into the car of the Israeli ambassador to Chile, David Dadon, smashing the windshield. Dadon was not in the car and no one was injured, but security was tightened.


Jews of Chile

In 2006,
Michelle Bachelet Verónica Michelle Bachelet Jeria (; born 29 September 1951) is a Chilean politician who served as United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2018 to 2022. She previously served as President of Chile from 2006 to 2010 and 2014 to 201 ...
's newly elected Chilean cabinet was described as the "most
Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
government in the world." The Ministers of Public Works ( Eduardo Bitran), Planning and Cooperation ( Clarissa Hardy), Mining and Energy ( Karen Poniachik) and Deputy Foreign Minister ( Alberto van Klaveren) were Jewish. Later, Bachelet's successor
Sebastián Piñera Miguel Juan Sebastián Piñera Echenique OMCh (; born 1 December 1949) is a Chilean billionaire businessman and politician who served as president of Chile from 2010 to 2014 and again from 2018 to 2022. The son of a Christian Democratic polit ...
would appoint the also Jewish
Rodrigo Hinzpeter Rodrigo Javier Hinzpeter Kirberg (born 27 October 1965) is a Chilean lawyer and politician. He was one of the founders of National Renewal, a center-right political party. He was appointed Interior Minister on 11 March 2010 by President of Chil ...
as Minister of Interior Government and later as Minister of Defense. Chile has a Jewish community estimated at about 10,000 to 16,000 mainly centred on Santiago. Some estimates put the total Jewish population as high as 20,700.


Issue of Palestine

In 2006, a number of Chilean politicians including Deputies Iván Paredes and Sergio Aguiló "strongly condemned the Israeli aggression against the
Palestinian people Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...
in the
Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip (;The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.761 "Gaza Strip /'gɑːzə/ a strip of territory under the control of the Palestinian National Authority and Hamas, on the SE Mediterranean coast including the town of Gaza.. ...
and the
West Bank The West Bank ( ar, الضفة الغربية, translit=aḍ-Ḍiffah al-Ġarbiyyah; he, הגדה המערבית, translit=HaGadah HaMaʽaravit, also referred to by some Israelis as ) is a landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...
and urged the Chilean government to recall their ambassador to Tel Aviv until the aggressions are brought to an end". The leader of the socialist bloc in the Chilean parliament, Alejandro Navarro, said, "Latin America must react as one single voice against what is going on in the
occupied Palestinian territories The Palestinian territories are the two regions of the former British Mandate for Palestine that have been militarily occupied by Israel since the Six-Day War of 1967, namely: the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip. The In ...
". Mr. Navarro also reported that they are going to "organize a delegation of Chilean lawmakers to act as international observers in the occupied Palestinian territory and to express solidarity with the Palestinian people." A member of the Chilean communist party, Hugo Gutierrez, described Israel as a "terrorist state" and demanded the United Nations to "act on behalf of the international law to stop the massacres and to achieve Palestinian sovereignty over their land". In January 2011, the Chilean government adopted a resolution "recognising the existence of the State of Palestine as a free, independent and sovereign state". A senior Israeli official responded saying "It is a useless and empty gesture because it will not change anything. The Chilean announcement, like those preceding it in Latin America, will not encourage the Palestinians to negotiate."
President of Chile The president of Chile ( es, Presidente de Chile), officially known as the President of the Republic of Chile ( es, Presidente de la República de Chile), is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Chile. The president is r ...
,
Sebastián Piñera Miguel Juan Sebastián Piñera Echenique OMCh (; born 1 December 1949) is a Chilean billionaire businessman and politician who served as president of Chile from 2010 to 2014 and again from 2018 to 2022. The son of a Christian Democratic polit ...
, said "In this way we contribute to that end that may exist in the Middle East, a Palestinian state and a state of Israel that can live in peace and prosperity and recognized frontiers with secure borders". In response, Gabriel Zaliasnik, president of the Jewish community in Chile, thought Israel's Foreign Ministry made a mistake. Zaliasnik believed the statement that eventually emerged from the Chilean Government accepting Palestinian independence while acknowledging Israel's right to security was "not the diplomatic debacle some made it out to be, but in fact was a victory of sorts". In July 2014, the government of
Michelle Bachelet Verónica Michelle Bachelet Jeria (; born 29 September 1951) is a Chilean politician who served as United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2018 to 2022. She previously served as President of Chile from 2006 to 2010 and 2014 to 201 ...
summoned its ambassador in Israel during the Gaza conflict saying Israeli operation "breach fundamental norms in international humanitarian law". In 2018 the Chilean commune of
Valdivia Valdivia (; Mapuche: Ainil) is a city and commune in southern Chile, administered by the Municipality of Valdivia. The city is named after its founder Pedro de Valdivia and is located at the confluence of the Calle-Calle, Valdivia, and Cau-Cau R ...
declared itself "Free of Israeli Apartheid" ( es, Libre de Apartheid Israelí). According to the mayor of Valdivia Omar Sabat this mean the municipality would "restrain from purchasing any services from companies related to the Israeli apartheid". The municipal decree was declared
unconstitutional Constitutionality is said to be the condition of acting in accordance with an applicable constitution; "Webster On Line" the status of a law, a procedure, or an act's accordance with the laws or set forth in the applicable constitution. When l ...
by the Comptroller General of Chile in December 2018. On September 15, 2022, an unusual diplomatic incident occurred, when the incumbent Chilean president
Gabriel Boric Gabriel Boric Font (; born 11 February 1986) is a Chilean left-wing politician who is the 37th and current president of Chile, serving since 11 March 2022. Boric studied in the Faculty of Law at the University of Chile, and was the president o ...
refused to accept the charter from the new Israeli ambassador. According to reports this is because of "the President's anger over ''Operation Break the Wave''." Subsequently, the Chilean Foreign Ministry issued an apology to the Israeli ambassador, which was accepted by the latter. Israel reprimanded Chile's "bizarre and unprecedented behavior."


See also

*
History of the Jews in Latin America and the Caribbean The history of the Jews in Latin America began with conversos who joined the Spanish and Portuguese expeditions to the continents. The Alhambra Decree of 1492 led to the mass conversion of Spain's Jews to Catholicism and the expulsion of those ...
*
International recognition of Israel The State of Israel was formally established by the Israeli Declaration of Independence on 14 May 1948, and was admitted to the United Nations (UN) as a member state on 11 May 1949. , it has received diplomatic recognition from 165 () of the to ...
*
List of Chilean Jews Chilean Jews are Chilean people, Chileans residing in the Chile, Republic of Chile who are of either Jews, Jewish ancestry or observe the Judaism, Jewish faith. In the 2012 Chilean census, 16,294 Chilean residents listed their religion as Judaism ...


References


External links


Israeli embassy in Santiago

Chilean embassy in Tel Aviv
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chile-Israel relations
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
Bilateral relations of Israel