Chilean Ambassador Gabriel Zaliasnik faces calls for resignation

Chilean Deputy Nelson Venegas has called for the resignation of Gabriel Zaliasnik, Chile’s ambassador to Israel, following controversial remarks regarding the Palestinian community in Chile and Middle East foreign policy.

During a YouTube interview on the program ‘Defending Israel,’ Zaliasnik expressed skepticism regarding the size of the Palestinian community in Chile, suggesting that figures are manipulated for political purposes. He noted that while estimates have fluctuated from 250,000 to 800,000, the lack of an ethnic census allows for such discrepancies. Venegas criticized the ambassador, labeling him a ‘Zionist activist’ and stating his comments disqualify the identity of over 500,000 Chilean citizens of Palestinian origin.

The Embassy of the State of Palestine in Chile also expressed ‘deep concern’ over the interview. The embassy highlighted Zaliasnik’s failure to object to a map presented during the broadcast that depicted the entirety of the Occupied Palestinian Territory as part of Israel. Additionally, the embassy contested comments linking Palestinian-Chilean families to a process of ‘radicalization,’ arguing that identifying with one’s country of origin is not synonymous with radicalization.