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On Wednesday, Bolivia declared that Israel is a “terrorist state” and revoke an agreement it had with Israel regarding a visa exemption in protest of Israel’s ongoing aggression in the Gaza Strip. The visa exemption agreement between Israel and Bolivia was signed in 1972 and allows Israelis to visit Bolivia without a visa.
The move was announced by President Evo Morales during a talk with several educators in the city Cochabamba.
“(The move) means, in other words, we are declaring (Israel) a terrorist state”, Morales said.
He added that the Israeli aggression in Gaza shows “that Israel is not a guarantor of the principles of respect for life and the elementary precepts of rights that govern the peaceful and harmonious coexistence of our international community”.
Earlier in the month, Morales had urged the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to put Israel on trial for its “crimes against humanity”. Bolivia had previously broken off all diplomatic ties with Israel in 2009, also due to Israel’s military action in Gaza.
His declaration comes on the back of a fresh Israeli strike on a crowded marketplace in Gaza City that caused the deaths of 17 people and wounded hundreds more. Earlier in the day, an Israeli tank had fired on an UN-run school, which was used as a shelter for the displaced, and caused the deaths of 16 people, drawing international protests.
In 22 days of fighting in the besieged strip, over 1,300 people have been killed and around 6,000 people have been injured amid intense Israeli airstrikes and ground campaign.
In the latest development, an Israeli delegation had touched down in Cairo to discuss the possibility of a ceasefire with Egyptian officials. Egypt has been an important mediator in truce negotiations between Hamas and Israel, and is also expected to play host to a Palestinian delegation within the week.
