respuestas published

Visual by Alexia Jimenez
Palestinian struggle for freedom is connected to struggles all around the world. This is one of the many
reasons we should all care.
From 1975 to 1979, 83% of El Salvador’s military imports came from Israel. They also helped train ANSESAL,
an infamous death squad that later killed tens of thousands of civilian activists. Israel helped fund El
Salvador’s civil war between the right-wing landowning class against left-wing popular organizations.
Continuing in Central America, Guatemalan armed forces who were trained by Israel were responsible for the
now known Mayan Genocide. This mass murder killed over 200,000+ indigenous Mayans and displaced over
1 million Indigenous people. Like in El Salvador, Israel also funded Guatemala and gave them over $38
billion for arms so that this genocide could continue. Since then, Israel and Guatemala have maintained strong
diplomatic ties, as Guatemala was the first country to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in 2017. This
diplomatic relationship, like many others, was formed with a far-right wing government that shares many of
its ideals and views with the Israeli state. These ideals ensure Israel’s stay in power and the oppression of the
innocent.
A more recent case of Israeli oppression in Latin America occurred in 2021, when Colombians protested
against neoliberal policies enacted by the government of the then President, Ivan Duque. These protestors
were met with deadly repression by the police government of Ivan Duque, and hundreds of civilians were
injured or killed. Israel is Colombia’s military’s chief weapon supplier and is involved with Colombian military
training, assisting in the Colombian government’s persecution of innocent civilians. Colombian police and
army brutally wiped out their own people whilst using Israeli training and weapons. These examples are just a
few ways in which Israel has contributed to colonialism across Latin America.
Colonization, exploitation, and war are familiar to us. As Latines, our ancestors have endured years of
colonization and genocide before. They lived through dire times like these, and we would not be here if they
didn’t fight back. This is what’s currently happening to Palestinians. This can be a lot to take in, but living it,
as you can imagine, is so much worse. Palestinians need us, they need our advocacy. In order to help, you
can bring attention to what’s happening in Gaza. This includes taking part in protests, marches, and vigils to
show your solidarity with Gaza, as well as participating in the current boycotts. Spreading awareness on this
grave issue and encouraging others to educate themselves and speak up can also be so much more powerful
than we realize. We can either sit back and watch thousands more die, or we can do something now.
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