Chile–Israel relations
Encyclopedia
Chile–Israel relations refers to the historical and current relationship
between Chile
and Israel
. 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
. Israel has an embassy in Santiago
.
reported in 2006 that, following the government of Israel, "the newly elected Chilean cabinet is the most Jewish
government in the world, with three Jewish ministers, one deputy minister serving in government". The three Jewish Chilean ministers were: Minister of Public Works Eduardo Bitran, Minister of Planning and Cooperation Clarissa Hardy, and Minister of Mining and Energy Karen Poniachik. They were joined by Deputy Foreign Minister Alberto Van Klavren.
Chile has a Jewish community estimated at about 10,000 to 16,000 mainly centred around Santiago.
Some estimates put the total Jewish population as high as 20,700.
raised the issue of extraditing suspected Nazi war criminal Walter Rauff
. 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
Golda Meir
visited Chile with her Foreign Affairs Minister
Shimon Peres
and March 2005 saw the first official visit to Israel when Minister of Foreign Affairs Ignacio Walker made the trip with a delegation.
In 1988, the Chilean Government together with the Israeli Government and the US State Department blocked the purchase of F5 fighter jets from Chile to Iran.
Israel is a major supplier of military hardware to the Chilean Armed Forces. In 1993, the IAI Phalcon
system was sold to the Chilean Air Force
.
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.
in the Gaza Strip
and the West Bank
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". 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 leading Chilean human rights lawyer and 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
, Sebastián Piñera
, 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"
Following the 2010 Chile earthquake
, 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.
In October 2010, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
invited Chilean President Sebastian Pinera
to Israel for the signing in the near future of a free trade agreement between the two countries.
Bilateralism
Bilateralism consists of the political, economic, or cultural relations between two sovereign states. For example, free trade agreements signed by two states are examples of bilateral treaties. It is in contrast to unilateralism or multilateralism, which refers to the conduct of diplomacy by a...
between Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
and Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. 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
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
. Israel has an embassy in Santiago
Santiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...
.
Cultural relations
Israeli newspaper Yedioth AhronothYedioth Ahronoth
Yedioth Ahronoth is a daily newspaper published in Tel Aviv, Israel. Since the 1970s, it has been the most widely circulated paper in Israel. In a TGI survey comparing the last half of 2009 with the same period in 2008, Yedioth Ahronoth retained the title of most widely read newspaper in Israel...
reported in 2006 that, following the government of Israel, "the newly elected Chilean cabinet is the most Jewish
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
government in the world, with three Jewish ministers, one deputy minister serving in government". The three Jewish Chilean ministers were: Minister of Public Works Eduardo Bitran, Minister of Planning and Cooperation Clarissa Hardy, and Minister of Mining and Energy Karen Poniachik. They were joined by Deputy Foreign Minister Alberto Van Klavren.
Chile has a Jewish community estimated at about 10,000 to 16,000 mainly centred around Santiago.
Some estimates put the total Jewish population as high as 20,700.
Visits
In November 1983, Chilean Foreign Minister Miguel Walters visited Israel. The Israeli Attorney General Yitzhak ZamirYitzhak Zamir
Yitzhak Zamir 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 Law Faculty, and Judge in the Israeli Supreme Court.-Biography:Zamir was born in Warsaw in Poland on April 15,...
raised the issue of extraditing suspected Nazi war criminal Walter Rauff
Walter Rauff
Walter Rauff , was an SS officer in Nazi Germany, attaining the grade of Colonel in June 1944...
. 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
Prime Minister of Israel
The Prime Minister of Israel is the head of the Israeli government and the most powerful political figure in Israel . The prime minister is the country's chief executive. The official residence of the prime minister, Beit Rosh Hamemshala is in Jerusalem...
Golda Meir
Golda Meir
Golda Meir ; May 3, 1898 – December 8, 1978) was a teacher, kibbutznik and politician who became the fourth Prime Minister of the State of Israel....
visited Chile with her Foreign Affairs Minister
Foreign Affairs Minister of Israel
The Foreign Affairs Minister of Israel is the political head of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The position is one of the most important in the Israeli cabinet after Prime Minister and Defense Minister...
Shimon Peres
Shimon Peres
GCMG is the ninth President of the State of Israel. Peres served twice as the eighth Prime Minister of Israel and once as Interim Prime Minister, and has been a member of 12 cabinets in a political career spanning over 66 years...
and March 2005 saw the first official visit to Israel when Minister of Foreign Affairs Ignacio Walker made the trip with a delegation.
Military
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 "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 1988, the Chilean Government together with the Israeli Government and the US State Department blocked the purchase of F5 fighter jets from Chile to Iran.
Israel is a major supplier of military hardware to the Chilean Armed Forces. In 1993, the IAI Phalcon
IAI Phalcon
The IAI EL/M-2075 Phalcon is an Airborne Early Warning and Control radar system developed by Israel Aerospace Industries and Elta Electronics Industries of Israel. Its primary objective is to provide intelligence to maintain air superiority and conduct surveillance...
system was sold to the Chilean Air Force
Chilean Air Force
The Chilean Air Force is the air force of Chile, a branch of the Chilean military.-History:The first step towards the current FACh was taken by Teniente Coronel Pedro Pablo Dartnell, when he founded the Servicio de Aviación Militar de Chile on December 20, 1910, being trained as a pilot in France...
.
In 2002, Chilean Air Force selected Israeli military manufacturer RADA Electronic Industries
RADA Electronic Industries
RADA Electronic Industries is an Israeli company specializing in defense electronics. It furnishes its clients with data recording and management systems, navigation systems, and radar sensors, among other products. Its shares are traded on the NASDAQ Capital Market.- History :RADA Electronic...
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.
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 peoplePalestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
in the Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
and the West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
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". 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 leading Chilean human rights lawyer and 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
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
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
President of Chile
The President of the Republic of Chile is both the head of state and the head of government of the Republic of Chile. The President is responsible of the government and state administration...
, Sebastián Piñera
Sebastián Piñera
Miguel Juan Sebastián Piñera Echenique is a Chilean businessman and politician. He was elected President of Chile in January 2010, taking office in March 2010.- Education :...
, 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"
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.Israeli assistance
Following the 1965 Chile earthquake, the Israeli Government offered medical equipment and supplies.Following the 2010 Chile earthquake
2010 Chile earthquake
The 2010 Chile earthquake occurred off the coast of central Chile on Saturday, 27 February 2010, at 03:34 local time , having a magnitude of 8.8 on the moment magnitude scale, with intense shaking lasting for about three minutes. It ranks as the sixth largest earthquake ever to be recorded by a...
, 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.
Agreements
There are various agreements between the two countries :- 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 Netanyahu
Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu is the current Prime Minister of Israel. He serves also as the Chairman of the Likud Party, as a Knesset member, as the Health Minister of Israel, as the Pensioner Affairs Minister of Israel and as the Economic Strategy Minister of Israel.Netanyahu is the first and, to...
invited Chilean President Sebastian Pinera
Sebastián Piñera
Miguel Juan Sebastián Piñera Echenique is a Chilean businessman and politician. He was elected President of Chile in January 2010, taking office in March 2010.- Education :...
to Israel for the signing in the near future of a free trade agreement between the two countries.
See also
- History of the Jews in Latin AmericaHistory of the Jews in Latin AmericaThe history of the Jews in Latin America dates, according to some interpretations, back to Christopher Columbus and his first cross-Atlantic voyage on August 3, 1492, when he left Spain and eventually discovered the New World...
- List of Chilean Jews
- International recognition of IsraelInternational recognition of IsraelThe recognition of Israel in the international community remains an outstanding issue of the Arab–Israeli conflict. Pursuant to the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine, which provided for the establishment of a Jewish state, Israel declared its independence at midnight on 14 May 1948...