By Carlos Aznarez on July 16, 2026
foto: EFE
As can be seen in this brief overview, “Israel”—through its political-military diplomacy—is relentless in its efforts to expand the influence of Zionism and its doctrine of death throughout the continent.
Zionist influence in Latin America and the Caribbean is growing steadily. This is not only about the opening of opportunities for political, economic, and military relations that “Israel” has been able to achieve with the help of its key partner, the United States, but also about a bold maneuver to pressure and co-opt leaders and high-ranking officials from various countries—on whom every Jewish community works tirelessly by lobbying, establishing relationships based on mutual interests, and in certain cases “applying pressure to those who do not realize the importance that ‘Israel’ holds in the world,” according to a leader of a Zionist organization in Colombia.
Regarding the rise of the Israeli presence in Latin America, the case of Argentina has taken on vital importance for Zionist expansionism. Although the country has always been one where the Jewish community has shown strong adherence to the ideas of Theodor Herzl (the doctrinal founder of Zionism), in recent years this adherence has multiplied—whether through full acceptance or through an almost mafia-like imposition on those who do not submit to the dictates of staunchly pro-Israeli organizations. Since 2023, with Javier Milei’s rise to power, Argentina’s relationship with “Israel” has taken a monumental leap forward. Milei boasts of being “the first and foremost Zionist president” on the continent and has forged close ties with “Tel Aviv,” unabashedly applauding the genocidal actions of the Netanyahu government and traveling to “Israel” on repeated occasions to negotiate all manner of commercial, military, and intelligence agreements.
In fact, it is no coincidence that many analysts consider Buenos Aires to have become a second “Tel Aviv,” where the embassy and Jewish “community” organizations play a decisive role in implementing the Argentine government’s strategies—as much or even more so than Milei’s ties with the U.S. The ultimate symbolic gesture in this regard was his oath of office, taken on the Torah, administered by former Foreign Minister Gerardo Werthein. In addition to the repeated arms purchases and exchanges of military instructors—which began in earnest when former Security Minister Patricia Bullrich traveled to “Tel Aviv,” donned the uniform of the occupying army, and participated in shooting drills with Israeli officers—there are also various initiatives promoted by businessman Mario Montoto of the Argentine-Israeli Chamber of Commerce.
Among the latest initiatives by both governments is the signing and implementation of the “Isaac Agreements” to deepen cooperation in defense, intelligence, and security—not only for Argentina but for the rest of the continent as well. It is no coincidence that “Israel” designated Buenos Aires as its regional operations center. These “agreements” are similar to the “Abraham Accords” that “Israel” imposed on countries in the Middle East—countries that not only “normalized” their relations with the Zionist entity but, even amid the massacres of Palestinian and Lebanese civilians, continue to sell or purchase weapons and all kinds of supplies from the Netanyahu government.
Another factor to consider regarding Zionist expansionism in Argentina is the presence of the Israeli state-owned water company Mekorot, which entered the country through shameful agreements signed by the former “progressive” minister Wado de Pedro (during the administration of Alberto and Cristina Fernández) and which now, thanks to the subservient collaboration of the governors, has become firmly established throughout the country.
The other aspect to consider when discussing the Zionist presence in Argentina is the slow but persistent incursion of Israeli settler-soldiers into Patagonia, which has already set off all kinds of alarms in the region. Of course, their settlement in that territory is taking place with the green light from Milei’s Zionist-fascist government and the open complicity of pro-government governors as well as the Peronist “opposition.” Among the latest and most serious developments in this regard is the establishment of an Israeli consulate in Ushuaia, which will cover three geostrategic areas: Tierra del Fuego, Argentine Antarctica, and the Malvinas Islands. On the Falkland Islands, the Israeli company Navitas Petroleum has long been established and leads oil exploration there through the Sea Lion project, in partnership with the British firm Rockhopper Exploration. The project is located about 220 km north of the islands, with plans to begin drilling and commercial crude oil extraction around the year 2028.
Argentina’s neighboring countries are not far behind in their relations with the Zionist entity. In the case of Paraguay, under the administration of far-right President Santiago Peña, the country has maintained a completely subservient stance in support of “Israel,” formalizing the relocation of its embassy to Jerusalem. Regarding bilateral agreements, both countries have formalized cooperation agreements in strategic areas such as defense, diplomacy, and artificial intelligence, as well as technical exchange programs for efficient water management and development in the Paraguayan Chaco.
In terms of trade and exchange, there are significant agreements that have boosted key sectors such as the export of Paraguayan beef to the Israeli market, in addition to annual scholarships and internships for Paraguayan professionals to train in “Israel” in innovation and medicine. In the military and law enforcement sector, Israeli advisors frequently visit Paraguay to offer training courses, which culminate in trips to the occupied Palestinian territories for army officers to participate in live-fire exercises.
For its part, the water company Mekorot has been involved in technical and infrastructure projects in Paraguay since 2014. Its most notable project focused on the construction of a treatment plant in Piquete Cué, Limpio (at an estimated cost of $228 million) to provide drinking water to Limpio, San Lorenzo, Luque, and Mariano Roque Alonso.
As for Chile, the current government of the Nazi-fascist José Antonio Kast is planning new cooperation mechanisms with “Israel” in the areas of security, defense, and intelligence. Recently, Chile’s ambassador to “Tel Aviv,” Gabriel Zaliasnik, met with the deputy advisor to Israel’s National Security Council, Joseph Draznin, and the Minister for the Diaspora and Combating Antisemitism, Amichail Chikli, with whom he reviewed avenues for strategic collaboration. In addition to technological and military exchanges, proposed by Draznin, the meeting with Chikli included discussions on potential training programs “in response to security threats, targeted violence, and emergencies arising from internal unrest or disasters.” Emphasis was also placed on initiatives related to combating antisemitism—the slogan that Zionism repeats on a global scale to impose total censorship against any criticism of its genocidal actions against Palestine and the Arab and Persian worlds in general.
In the case of Bolivia, where the governments of the Movement Toward Socialism had taken the courageous step of severing relations with “Israel” and giving full support to the Palestinian people and the Palestinian Resistance, everything has taken a regressive turn with the arrival of Rodrigo Paz to power. Acting as a new puppet of the U.S. empire in the region, Paz not only immediately reestablished diplomatic relations with the Zionist entity but has also launched bilateral cooperation initiatives in the commercial and politico-military spheres, as is typical of all countries that submit to Zionist influence. Furthermore, the decision was made to eliminate visa requirements for Israeli tourists and to move forward with water technology projects, once again involving the Israeli state-owned company Mekorot.
For its part, Panama has historically supported “Israel,” being one of the few Latin American countries that does not recognize the State of Palestine. Furthermore, both countries share a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in effect since 2020 and maintain relations involving trade, technology, and—at the military level—the exchange of sophisticated intelligence equipment.
In May 2026, both governments signed a memorandum of understanding for the transfer of knowledge and the implementation of technological, agricultural, and water management projects. Furthermore, Panama and “Israel” collaborate through the “Israeli” Agency for International Development Cooperation (MASHAV), training hundreds of Panamanian professionals. The document was signed by Panama’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Javier Martínez-Acha, and “Israel’s” ambassador to Panama, Mattanya Cohen, who stated that this agreement is one of the direct outcomes of the visit by “Israel’s” President, Isaac Herzog, on May 6—the first such visit by a “Israeli” president to the Central American country.
It is worth noting that the Panamanian Jewish community constitutes a powerful lobbying force, which is why current President José Raúl Mulino maintains close ties with its leaders. The “Israeli” embassy in Panama also credits the Central American country with a “historic” contribution to the founding of the Israeli Air Force, which has since served to fuel what has been happening for decades: constant bombings of the Palestinian civilian population, extending that aerial fire to Lebanon, Iran, Syria, Yemen, and all countries that dare to stand up to Zionist imperialism.
As for Central America, Guatemala and “Israel” maintain an extremely close diplomatic, historical, and commercial relationship. Guatemala was the first country to officially recognize the “State of ‘Israel’” and the second to vote in favor of its creation at the UN in 1947. This alliance was formalized through a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) that has been in effect since 2024. Guatemalan Ambassador Jorge García Granados played a decisive role in the creation of “Israel,” and streets in the Zionist entity are named in his honor. Furthermore, Guatemala was the second country in the world (after the U.S.) to move its embassy to Jerusalem in 2018.
In addition to all these displays of total devotion to the entity responsible for the genocide of the Palestinian people, a Free Trade Agreement came into effect in Guatemala in March 2024, leading to increased agricultural exports and cooperation in technology, cybersecurity, and military training.
It is worth noting the strong influence that Christian Zionism exerts in Guatemala—an affinity driven largely by evangelical communities—consolidating the Central American country, along with the U.S. and present-day Argentina, as one of the most pro-Israeli nations in the world. All of this despite the fact that “Israel” became heavily involved with Guatemala’s military government, especially after U.S. President Jimmy Carter cut off most U.S. military aid to Guatemala in 1977 due to its notorious record of human rights abuses. At that time, “Israel” eagerly stepped in to replace the United States, becoming Guatemala’s primary supplier of weapons. In 1980, the army was completely re-equipped with Galil rifles (manufactured in Israel) at a cost of six million dollars—weapons that were used to carry out a veritable genocide in the Central American country.
Of all the atrocities committed by the Zionist entity in Guatemala, one painful and unpunished example stands out: On December 6, 1982, commandos trained by “Israel” completely burned down the village of Dos Erres after shooting, torturing, and raping more than two hundred villagers. A United Nations investigation team found: “All the ballistic evidence recovered consisted of bullet fragments from firearms and cartridge casings from Galil rifles manufactured in “Israel.” General Benedicto Lucas García, chief of staff of the Guatemalan army who carried out the genocidal raids, expressed gratitude for “Israel’s advice and transfer of electronic technology” while speaking at a special inauguration ceremony for the Guatemalan Army’s School of Communications and Electronics.
As for El Salvador, another country that in the 1970s and 1980s also received Israeli weapons and military advice to carry out yet another genocide against its people, the current relations of Nayib Bukele’s government are more than close, highlighted by the Central American country’s support for “Israel” in international forums and its active promotion of religious tourism. Regarding this last point, Salvadoran delegations have recently participated in forums—such as the “Land of Living Faith, El Salvador 2026” conference—to strengthen the religious tourism sector in collaboration with “Israel’s” Ministry of Tourism.
The current dictator Bukele, has always maintained close ties with “Israel,” even during his time as mayor of the Salvadoran capital for the FMLN. On his first trip to “Tel Aviv,” Bukele—who is of Palestinian origin—took pleasure in expressing admiration for “Israeli democracy” and in stating that his wife was of Sephardic Jewish descent. On that occasion, he expressed his “joy” at visiting the country—which for 76 years has been carrying out extermination operations against the Palestinian people—and was photographed praying at the Western Wall and visiting Yad Vashem, “Israel’s” Holocaust memorial. Some time later, he again shared a photo of himself at the same Wall following his presidential victory in 2019, and that same year he announced a $3 million donation to the Jerusalem Foundation, which promotes development in “Israel’s” capital.
Another country that is not far behind in expressing its “excellent relations” with a government like Netanyahu’s—one filled with perpetrators of crimes against humanity—is Costa Rica. Their ties have deepened following the signing of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) that eliminates 90 percent of tariffs and seeks to boost sectors such as agricultural technology, medical devices, and agriculture. In addition, the Costa Rican government is moving forward with relocating its embassy to Jerusalem.
With the arrival in office of far-right President Laura Fernández Delgado, Costa Rica’s process of subordination to “Tel Aviv” intensified, particularly after the May 2026 meeting in which Fernández promised the genocidal Israeli leader Herzog her intention to elevate the status of the Costa Rican diplomatic mission in Jerusalem to that of an embassy.
Finally, it is worth noting that as part of a new Zionist offensive against Latin America and the Caribbean, the recent events surrounding the twin earthquakes in Venezuela allowed the Israeli government to send a mission of “rescuers,” led and monitored by the incoming Zionist ambassador to Mexico, Yoed Magen, with the support of the rabbi of the local Jewish community, Yitzhak Cohen.
Thus, taking advantage of the painful situation Venezuela is currently facing, two missions arrived in Caracas: one consisting of settler “rescuers” and the other of Zionist military specialists from the Home Front Command of the “Israeli” Defense Forces, who, together with officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, carried out a wide range of activities. Some carried out “rescue” tasks, while others—the military personnel and diplomats—focused on attempting to foster closer ties between the two countries, as it must be remembered that “Israel” and Venezuela have not maintained diplomatic relations since then-President Hugo Chávez severed ties with the Zionist government in early 2009 in protest of the criminal Operation Cast Lead against the Palestinian people. Chávez also strengthened ties with Iran, a policy that continued under the administration of President Nicolás Maduro, who has now been kidnapped by the U.S.
The Israeli delegation thus sought to downplay the accusations of genocide and other criminal practices they carry out day after day, hour after hour, against Palestinians, Lebanese, and, more recently, Iranians as well. A regime accustomed to killing ruthlessly, as they did with the girls at the Iranian school in Minab, or with the tens of thousands of children in occupied Palestine. However, amid Venezuela’s tragic circumstances, they were awarded—as were all the rescue workers from various countries—the “Heroes of Venezuela” medal, presented to them by Acting President Delcy Rodríguez, with whom they met.
As can be seen in this brief overview, “Israel”—through its politico-military diplomacy—never rests and continues to expand the influence of Zionism and its doctrine of death throughout the continent. It clearly takes advantage of the path opened by the far-right and fascist-leaning governments that currently control several countries, but it also infiltrates progressive governments, exploiting internal contradictions or obvious weaknesses. As part of their broader co-optation campaigns, they have already succeeded in establishing—in numerous countries, even at the level of draft legislation—the official definition of antisemitism from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), which equates “antisemitism” with “anti-Zionism.” This allows pro-Zionist governments to suppress any expression of criticism against Israeli atrocities. This is already happening in Latin America and Europe.
Source: Telesur, translation Resumen Latinoamericano – English