If only the governments in Egypt and Jordan had the backbone to do the same – Ha’aretz: The war in Gaza has led to a serious crisis in Israel’s relations with Latin America. The foreign ministries of Chile and Peru have announced they are calling their ambassadors in Tel Aviv in consultation to protest Israel’s operation against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The moves comes on the heels of Brazil and Ecuador, who announced last week that they were recalling their envoys.
“Given the escalation of Israeli military operations in Gaza, the Government of Chile, in coordination with others in our region, has decided to call in consultation Santiago Ambassador of Chile in Tel Aviv, Jorge Montero,” the Chilean foreign ministry in Santiago said in a statement.
“Chile notes with great concern and dismay that such military operations, which at this stage of development are subject to a collective punishment against the Palestinian civilian population in Gaza do not respect fundamental rules of international humanitarian law.”
The Chilean foreign ministry emphasized the more than 1,000 Palestinians killed, including women and children during Operation Protective Edge, which continued for a 22nd day on Tuesday. The statement also noted Israel’s attacks “on schools and hospitals.”
The statement condemned rocket fire by Hamas against civilians in Israel, but said that “the scale and intensity of Israeli operations in Gaza violate the principle of proportionality in the use of force, an essential requirement to justify self-defense.” The statement also called “for an immediate end of hostilities” in Gaza.
In Lima, the Peruvian foreign ministry published a similar statement condemning Israel’s operation in Gaza.
