SANTIAGO: Chile plans to open an embassy in the Palestinian territories, President Gabriel Boric said late on Wednesday, which could make the Andean country one of only a handful to have an embassy-level office in the territories that are contested with Israel.
Chilean Foreign Minister Antonia Urrejola confirmed the plan on Thursday but said there was no timeline in place yet and that Chile continues to recognize both Palestine and Israel as legitimate states.
Leftist Boric, who has repeatedly expressed support for the Palestinian people’s demand for an independent state, made the comments at a private ceremony in Santiago hosted by the city’s important Palestinian diaspora.
“I am taking a risk (saying) this... we are going to raise our official representation in Palestine from having a charge d’affaires; now we are going to open an embassy,” Boric said, without giving details on where the embassy would be located.
The Israeli embassy in Chile did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Palestinian Authority’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent outside of business hours.
The Palestinian territories, which Palestinians want recognized as a state, encompass the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and contest control over East Jerusalem. Israel captured those areas in a 1967 Middle East war and there have been regular clashes since.
The West Bank has experienced some of the worst levels of violence in more than a decade this year, much of it concentrated around Nablus and the nearby city of Jenin, with at least 150 Palestinians and more than 20 Israelis killed.
Israeli forces killed a Palestinian combatant in clashes near a flashpoint site on Thursday, underlining the continuing violence in the occupied West Bank that will confront Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s incoming government.
Netanyahu has secured a coalition with religious and ultranationalist partners who oppose Palestinian statehood and want to extend Jewish settlements in the West Bank.
Chile’s Boric said the embassy was meant to give Palestinians the representation they deserve and to demand that “international law be respected.”
In September, Boric postponed receiving the credentials of Israel’s new ambassador to Chile after Israeli forces killed a Palestinian teenager. Israel criticized the decision, saying it “seriously” harmed bilateral ties.
Chile to open embassy in Palestinian territories, says president
https://arab.news/v2xuf
Chile to open embassy in Palestinian territories, says president
- Chilean Foreign Minister Antonia Urrejola confirmed the plan on Thursday
- There was no timeline in place yet and that Chile continues to recognize both Palestine and Israel as legitimate states
President Abbas hopes 2026 brings progress on Palestinian statehood
- Leader endorses Gaza committee, cites positive indications from US administration to resolving cause
RAMALLAH: Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said on Thursday that Palestine is determined to continue its efforts with US President Donald Trump and other relevant partners.
He expressed hope that 2026 will witness progress toward resolving the Palestinian cause, citing positive indications from the US administration.
He was speaking during a ceremony marking his receipt of an honorary doctorate from the Arab American University in Ramallah.
Abbas said the state of Palestine has announced its support for the formation of the Palestinian Administrative Committee in the Gaza Strip during the transitional phase.
He expressed appreciation for the efforts of Trump and mediators Egypt, Qatar, and Turkiye, and for moving toward the implementation of the second phase of Trump’s plan.
Abbas reaffirmed the importance of linking the institutions of the PA in the West Bank and Gaza, stressing the need to avoid creating parallel administrative, legal, or security systems that would entrench division.
He outlined his political vision based on the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and return, and the establishment of an independent, fully sovereign Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, living in peace and security with its neighbors.
The president said the Palestinian state would be democratic, based on equal citizenship, political pluralism, freedom of expression, the formation of political parties, the rule of law, good governance, human rights, integrity, and equality.
Abbas stressed that direct legislative and presidential elections are the foundation of democratic governance and the only path to the peaceful transfer of power under the rule of law, transparency, accountability, and the empowerment of women and youth.
He noted that work is underway to draft a temporary constitution and a political parties law in preparation for the upcoming elections.
Abbas affirmed that the Palestinian state remains committed to international law and the agreements and treaties signed with other states and international organizations.
The president reiterated that peaceful popular resistance, alongside political, diplomatic, and legal action, remains the strategic choice to end the occupation.
He said the Palestinian people continue to safeguard their presence, history, identity, and national memory despite immense challenges, adding that despite the catastrophe caused by the war in Gaza, they remain determined to rebuild the enclave and what has been destroyed across the West Bank.
Abbas also voiced confidence in Palestinian universities, saying they will not only transmit knowledge but also advance it through investment in scientific research and partnerships with the private sector and the state, emphasizing that science and technology are key drivers of national progress.
He stressed that it is time for the Palestinian people to write their own complete history, present their authentic narrative, and decisively refute false and distorted accounts that seek to misrepresent the reality and history of the Palestinian people.
