Original article: 21 parlamentarios oficialistas exigieron a Cancillería actuar por expulsión de chileno desde Israel
A group of 21 Chilean lawmakers has released a public statement expressing their «extreme concern» over the entry ban imposed by Israeli authorities on Chilean citizen José Nicolás Khamis Thomas, who was traveling to Beit Jala in the West Bank for personal and family reasons.
The document was signed by parliamentarians Cristian Araya, Andrea Balladares, Sergio Bobadilla, Eduardo Cretton, Sebastián Cristoffanini, Camila Flores, Sergio Gahona, Sebastián Keitel, Alejandro Kusanovic, Andrés Longton, Cristóbal Martínez, Iván Moreira, Ricardo Neumann, Paulina Núñez, Mario Olavarría, Francisco Orrego, Javiera Rodríguez, Omar Sabat, Macarena Santelices, Diego Schalper, and Hotuiti Teao.
The signatories are members of Renovación Nacional, Unión Demócrata Independiente, the Republican Party, Evópoli, and independent sectors. They have requested Foreign Minister Francisco Pérez Mackenna to conduct diplomatic actions to ascertain the reasons behind Israel’s decision and the circumstances surrounding the inadmissibility and subsequent expulsion of the Chilean citizen.
Khamis Thomas, 32, who studied law at the Catholic University, traveled from Amsterdam to Tel Aviv intending to head to Beit Jala, a town in the West Bank where he has family ties.
He later recounted that he underwent extensive questioning by Israeli officials, who scrutinized his social media and asked about his family, political opinions, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the events of October 7, 2023.
After the interrogation, Israeli authorities informed him that he would not be permitted to enter for security reasons. The Chilean citizen was forced to remain for nearly 35 hours at Ben Gurion Airport before being sent back on a flight to Amsterdam.
Palestine Recognized by Chile
In their statement, the lawmakers reminded that Chile officially recognized the State of Palestine in 2011 during Piñera’s first administration. They highlighted that its border crossings and access routes are controlled by Israel, which requires those seeking to enter Palestinian territory to comply with Israeli immigration and security procedures.
While acknowledging that the Chilean Embassy in Israel provided consular assistance, the legislators stated that the known facts necessitate a broader institutional response: «We are extremely concerned about the entry ban imposed on a Chilean citizen, as well as the treatment he reportedly received during the inadmissibility procedure and subsequent expulsion,» they indicated.
One key point in the declaration addresses remarks made by the Israeli ambassador to Chile, who publicly asserted that Khamis Thomas’s entry could have posed «national security problems for Israel.»
The lawmakers deemed these remarks particularly serious, considering they were made without disclosing any public evidence, documentation, or concrete grounds to support them.
«An accusation of this nature, made by a diplomat without revealing any evidence, documentation, or specific grounds, severely affects the honor and reputation of a Chilean citizen and cannot be treated as a trivial claim or go unanswered by the state,» they stated.
In this context, they requested that the Foreign Ministry formally seek clarification from Israeli authorities regarding the reasons for both the entry ban and the accusations made publicly about the Chilean citizen.
According to the signatories, a state’s immigration powers cannot justify inhumane treatment, unfounded accusations, or arbitrary infringements on fundamental rights, especially when the affected person was en route to the territory of another state officially recognized by Chile.
Call for Reciprocity
The statement also suggests that Khamis Thomas’s case is not an isolated incident. The legislators indicated that other Chilean citizens, particularly those of Palestinian or Arab descent, have faced entry bans, interrogations, detentions, and questionable treatment by Israeli authorities.
For this reason, they urged the government to comprehensively review how Chile is handling these situations and to assess the effective application of the principle of reciprocity in immigration matters.
As a reference, they noted measures taken by the United States regarding Israeli citizens’ entry, pointing out that other countries have conditioned certain immigration benefits based on the treatment their own nationals receive.
Finally, the lawmakers urged the government to act decisively in defending Chilean citizens traveling to Palestine or passing through controls administered by Israel.
«The protection of Chilean citizens abroad cannot depend on political considerations nor be subordinated to the discretionary will of another state. Chile must act firmly, coherently, and with dignity to defend its nationals,» concludes the statement.
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