Bolivia reestablishes diplomatic relations with Israel

According to The Times of Israel, the signing ceremony will take place at the residence of the Israeli ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter.

“Happy for the new chapter that we will write in relations between Bolivia and Israel. Ties that today we will strengthen with the signing of the agreement to reestablish diplomatic relations with my counterpart, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Sa’ar, in Washington”, wrote in X the Bolivian Foreign Minister, Fernando Aramayo.

On the same social network, Sa’ar said that he spoke with the new president of Bolivia, Rodrigo Paz – whose term completed one month on Monday (8) –, the day after the second round of the presidential election, in October.

“I conveyed Israel’s desire to open a new chapter and fully renew diplomatic relations. My director general, Eden Bar Tal, represented Israel at the president’s inauguration in Bolivia. We appreciate the president’s decision to cancel the visa requirement for Israeli travelers,” said the Israeli Foreign Minister.

The government of Luis Arce, from the Movement to Socialism (MAS), had severed diplomatic relations with Israel in 2023, after the start of the war in the Gaza Strip.

Before that, ties between the two countries had already been severed between 2009 and 2019, but were reestablished by interim president Jeanine Áñez, after Evo Morales, also from MAS, left power.

Arce’s government also joined a South African lawsuit at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which accuses Israel of genocide in the conflict.

The Paz administration had already reestablished Bolivia’s relations with the United States, which had been severed since 2008.