Latin America's right-wing leaders open arms to Israel

Latin American nations, particularly those with right-wing governments, are increasingly forging closer ties with Israel, reversing previous diplomatic stances. Venezuela and Israel have agreed to establish a mechanism for resuming consular services, a significant step given that Venezuela's former socialist president, Hugo Chavez, expelled the Israeli ambassador in 2009 following a military offensive in Gaza.

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There is a trend toward rapprochement with Israel as a response to the surge of the radical right in the region.

In Colombia, the new nationalist government led by President Abelardo de la Espriella has reversed the decision of his predecessor, Gustavo Petro, to sever diplomatic relations with Israel. De la Espriella has announced plans to relocate Colombia's embassy to Jerusalem and declared that Colombia will join the United States as the only two countries recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, a move not recognized by the international community.

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Authoritarians in Latin America were linking relations with Israel to 'an active alignment with US foreign policy.'

According to Isaac Caro, a professor at Alberto Hurtado University in Chile, this trend reflects a rapprochement with Israel driven by the rise of the radical right in the region. Caro suggests that authoritarians in Latin America are linking relations with Israel to an alignment with U.S. foreign policy and a renewed discourse about the region's place within Judeo-Christian Western civilization.

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There had been a 'surge' in diplomacy between Israel and Latin American governments.

This alignment is evident in Argentina, where ultraconservative President Javier Milei has made close relations with Israel a cornerstone of his foreign policy and personal identity. Similarly, former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele were early adopters of warmer ties with Israel, followed by Milei and others. Experts note that these governments are actively embracing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's national-conservative government, influenced by ideological, religious, and strategic factors, including a desire to signal an international orientation aligned with the United States.

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Latin America's authoritarians were actively 'embracing' the national-conservative government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.