As the largest Palestinian community outside the Middle East advances an aggressive anti-Israel agenda bordering on anti-Semitism, Chile is facing constant attacks on its democracy and its heritage of inclusiveness.
More than 30,000 Palestinian protestors gathered near the Gaza-Israel border on Friday, March 30, for the “March of Return,” marking the beginning of a Hamas-led six-week demonstration calling for the destruction of the Jewish state. As expected, the protests continued this past weekend with estimates of 20,000 protesters.
Former President Sebastián Piñera won Chile’s presidential election on Sunday, December 17. His triumph demonstrates a turn towards the center-right in a region that has been dominated by leftist movements for over a decade. In 2012, Piñera became the first Chilean president to visit Israel, a fact that sets great expectations for the future of bilateral cooperation.
Thank you for inviting me to join in this centenary celebration of the Balfour Declaration – a celebration of the practical wisdom of a war-time British Government, of the triumph of historical obligation over colonial expediency, of the long-delayed recognition of a people’s rightful inheritance.