Israel welcomes election of new Bolivian president, calls for renewed relations

Israel warmly welcomed the election of center-right politician Rodrigo Paz as Bolivia’s new president, expressing hope that the end of two decades of socialist rule in the South American country would pave the path towards a “new chapter” in the bilateral ties between the two countries. 

“I congratulate President-elect Rodrigo Paz on his election as the new President of Bolivia,” Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced in an official statement. 

“We extend our warm wishes to the Bolivian people for their democratic process and their choice for renewal,” Israel’s top diplomat added, emphasizing the history of friendship between the two nations. 

Later Monday, Sa'ar called Paz to congratulate him directly. "During the call, Minister Sa’ar referred to the historical ties between Israel and the Jewish people with Bolivia. He stated that now, after two decades of strained relations, the time has come to restore the good relations between the countries," Sa'ar's office said.

Sa’ar also noted that Israel is "interested in turning a new page and fully renewing diplomatic relations between the two nations. President-elect Paz expressed his intention to lead Bolivia toward reopening to the world and to renewing ties with Israel."

Israel will also send an official representative to attend Paz's presidential inauguration ceremony.

Addressing the Bolivian nation after his election victory, Paz vowed that he would strive towards “reclaiming its place on the international stage.”

In November 2023, merely weeks after the Hamas Oct. 7 massacre of 1,200 Israelis and kidnapping of 251 people from Israel, Bolivia’s former socialist government under the outgoing President Luis Arce announced its decision to sever ties with the Jewish state, equating Israel’s self-defense military operations against Hamas with “crimes against humanity.”

“Bolivia decided to break diplomatic relations with the State of Israel in repudiation and condemnation of the aggressive and disproportionate Israeli military offensive taking place in the Gaza Strip,” Bolivian Deputy Foreign Minister Freddy Mamani claimed at the time at a news conference. 

The Israeli Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem condemned at the time Bolivia’s decision to cut relations, accusing the South American country’s government of "aligning itself with the Hamas terrorist organization” as well as surrendering towards the Islamic Republic of Iran. 

“The government of Bolivia's decision to cut diplomatic ties with Israel is a surrender to terrorism and to the Ayatollah’s regime in Iran," the Israeli foreign ministry stated. 

“By taking this step, the Bolivian government is aligning itself with the Hamas terrorist organization, which slaughtered over 1,400 Israelis and abducted [over]240 people, including children, women, babies and the elderly,” the ministry added. 

“Israel condemns Bolivia’s support of terrorism and its submission to the Iranian regime, which attest to the values the government of Bolivia represents,” Jerusalem concluded. 

The new Bolivian president revealed that he received a congratulatory message from U.S. President Donald Trump, and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly announced that the Trump administration “stands ready to partner with Bolivia on shared priorities.”

The Islamist Iranian regime has invested considerable resources and effort into building strong ties with socialist regimes in South America that share Tehran’s anti-American and anti-Israel ideology and outlook. 

In May 2024, Colombian socialist President Gustavo Petro announced that his government would sever ties with Israel after he accused the Jewish state of committing “genocide” in Gaza. 

"Here in front of you, the government of change, of the president of the republic announces that tomorrow we will break diplomatic relations with the state of Israel ... for having a government, for having a president who is genocidal,” Petro stated.