Observers noted that the Jewish community had an uneasy choice between anti-Israel Boric and Kast, a right-wing populist and pro-Israel politician whose father likely was a Nazi and who has defended the legacy of Augusto Pinochet, the head of Chile’s military dictatorship in the 1970s.
During a celebration of his victory by Boric’s, one pro-Palestinian group tweeted a clip of a TV interview in which Boric was asked whether he stood by a previous description of Israel as a “genocidal and murderous state.” “I maintain that,” he replied.
The recent election of a leftist and anti-Zionist politician as the new president of Chile worries the Jewish community of the South America country.
35-year-old Gabriel Boric, who was supported by the Chilean communist party, won the second round of presidential elections against his his right-wing rival Jose Antonio Kast.
In a conventional statement, the Jewish Community of Chile offered congratulations and wished the new president “every success” in government.
“We will work together for a Chile that is democratic, diverse and respectful of minorities,” it said.
But behind congratulations, statements by Boric on Israel are of concern for the 18,000 Jews living in the country.
During a celebration of his victory by Boric’s, one pro-Palestinian group tweeted a clip of a TV interview in which Boric was asked whether he stood by a previous description of Israel as a “genocidal and murderous state.” “I maintain that,” he replied.
Several Jewish groups posted screenshots of Boric’s response to a gift from the Chilean Jewish community in October 2019 in honor of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, in which he suggested that his Jewish fellow citizens were accountable for Israeli policies towards the Palestinians.
“I appreciate the gesture, but they could start by asking Israel to return illegally occupied Palestinian territory,” he then said.
Boric also supported a bill calling for a boycott of goods, services and products from Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank).
350,000 Palestinians live in Chile, the largest Palestinian community outside of the Middle East.
Observers noted that the Jewish community had an uneasy choice between anti-Israel Boric and Kast, a right-wing populist and pro-Israel politician whose father likely was a Nazi and who has defended the legacy of Augusto Pinochet, the head of Chile’s military dictatorship in the 1970s.