Palestinian Community Criticizes President Kast Over Ambassador Zaliasnik’s Remarks: «Will This Be How Your Government Engages with Chileans of Palestinian Descent?»

Original article: Comunidad Palestina emplaza a Kast por Zaliasnik: “¿Esta será la forma en que su Gobierno se relacionará con los chilenos de origen palestino?”

The Palestinian Community of Chile sent a letter to President José Antonio Kast, expressing their «deep concern» over the recent stigmatizing remarks made by Chile’s ambassador to Israel, Gabriel Zaliasnik, regarding Chileans of Palestinian descent.

“Will this be how your government engages with Chileans of Palestinian descent?”, they questioned in a mass statement.

They pointed out that it is inconceivable for a community with over 130 years of presence in the country for a government official to refer to Chileans of Palestinian descent in the terms used by the diplomat during an interview on the “Defending Israel with David Harris” program from Jewish Broadcasting Service (JBS), a platform that inherently indicates its editorial bias.

They deemed it «unacceptable» for a Chilean representative to attend a forum aimed at bolstering support for Israel to speak about the Palestinian community in Chile, particularly when the program’s visuals displayed a map presenting Israel as encompassing all of the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Gaza Strip, and the Golan Heights. This, according to the letter, legitimizes the illegal annexation of territory by force, further complicating the severity of the diplomat’s statements.

During this segment, Zaliasnik questioned the size of the Palestinian community in Chile, describing it as numerous, powerful, and influential.

However, the discomfort extends beyond the figures cited by the ambassador concerning the community’s size; it lies significantly in the content of Zaliasnik’s discourse. They argued that while isolated statements may seem like personal opinions, “when viewed together, they construct a much more troubling narrative” that suggests the existence of a “overwhelming,” numerous, and powerful Palestinian community in contrast to a smaller Jewish community; the alleged significant media and parliamentary influence of the former; deliberate exaggeration of numbers; the presence of radicalized individuals; and a direct linkage to the rise of antisemitism.

“From this accumulation of statements emerges an unmistakable image: that of a large, organized, influential, and potentially dangerous community,” they asserted in the text, emphasizing that when this community is defined by the origins of Chilean citizens, it crosses into a “collective stigmatization that we consider deeply discriminatory and dangerous.”

Another point that generated strong rejection was the ambassador’s attempt to downplay Palestinian identity. They noted that by referring to ancestors as mere «Arabs» who later adopted the name «Palestinians,» Zaliasnik disregarded the history of the community in Chile, asserting that Palestinian identity, far from being a recent political construct, has deep roots in the country.

“The best example is that the first record of the Palestinian Sports Club dates back to 1916, before the British Mandate,” they stated in the letter, demonstrating that self-identification and the sense of belonging to Palestine existed long before the establishment of the State of Israel.

Members of the Palestinian Community found it “improper for someone who officially represents Chile in another country to seek to relativize the identity” with which generations of Chilean citizens have identified.

Concerns heightened when the ambassador, in his official capacity, used «we» to refer to the Jewish community and not to all Chileans.

“Your ‘we’ should be Chile, and within that Chile, we are all included,” they claimed in the letter, invoking the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

They highlighted that the issue is exacerbated by the ambassador publicly expressing his support for Zionism while presenting his credentials, an ideology that, according to the group, is subject to intense debate.

Regarding this, they explained that “a Chilean official must understand that Zionism is also a political and ideological current”, pointing out that likewise it would be inappropriate to declare oneself a Marxist in front of Cuba, as diplomatic roles require discretion and a clear distinction between personal beliefs and the duty to represent the entire nation.

Finally, the Palestinian Community firmly condemned antisemitism while vehemently rejecting the automatic equation of anti-Zionism with antisemitism.

The letter maintains that “criticizing the Government of Israel, denouncing the occupation, questioning settlements, or politically rejecting Zionism does not in itself constitute antisemitism.” Establishing such an equivalence, they warn, creates the perverse effect of holding all Jews worldwide accountable for the decisions of a state, a logic they reject for themselves as well as for any other community.

“Jewish citizens of Chile should not be held responsible for the Israeli government, just as Chileans of Palestinian descent should not be held accountable for Palestinian governments, authorities, or organizations,” they clarified.

The letter concludes with a direct challenge to President Kast, expressing the sadness and indignation of a community that feels pointed at and stigmatized, reminding him that «our ancestors arrived in Chile over a century ago and, along with many others, helped to build this country,” and that “their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren are fully Chilean.”

“We believed that after so many generations we would not again feel that our origin could transform us into an ‘other’ before our own authorities, distinct from the rest of society. Therefore, more than indignation, we feel sadness. And in light of this accumulation of events, we cannot help but pose a question we never thought we would have to ask of a President of the Republic: should we understand that this will be how your government communicates with Chileans of Palestinian descent in the coming years? We sincerely hope the answer is no,” they concluded.