Israel, Palestine, and Latin America: Conflictual Relationships

Issue Editors: Pablo Pozzi and Ronaldo Munck

Historically, many Latin American nations, such as Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Venezuela, have significant and well established Jewish and Muslim communities. Since the late 19th Century thousands of Jewish immigrants from all over Europe flooded to Latin America. At the same time, Syrian, Lebanese, and Palestinian immigrants came to Latin America after leaving the Turkish Empire, which in some countries, such as Argentina and Uruguay, led to their being mistakenly known by the blanket denomination of “Turks”. Both communities developed extensive networks of cultural, educational, and religious institutions that made significant contributions to the societies that received them, and they have contributed many intellectuals and politicians to national life.

For decades the level of conflict between these two Latin American communities was extremely low, especially compared to other parts of the world with similar diasporas. However, since around 1990 this seems to have been changing. Is anti-Semitism in Latin America on the increase as many Zionist organizations claim? Are Latin American Muslims now under suspicion as a result of the “war on terror”? Is there a link between Islamophobia, broader anti-Arab racism, and global imperialism in the New American Century? Many Latin American governments have been highly critical of Israeli policies towards Palestinians, while their Jewish communities have remained mostly silent. Argentine Jewish pianist and conductor Daniel Baremboim is known for his work with the West–Eastern Divan Orchestra, a Seville-based orchestra of young Arab and Israeli musicians. But he is also a resolute critic of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories. Is there any hint that he is becoming representative of a more generalized attitude in Latin America?

From the time of Cuba’s cessation of diplomatic and trade relations with Israel in the 1970s, but particularly in the new millennium, many Latin American governments have been highly critical of Israeli government policies towards Palestine. In the last few years Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, El Salvador and Peru have recalled their ambassadors to Israel; Venezuela and Bolivia have curtailed their relations; Brazil has cancelled contracts with Israeli security firms linked to Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency; and Argentina, Mexico and Uruguay have issued official statements criticizing Israel’s assault on Gaza in 2014 and its repression of the Palestinian population.

Since the launch of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement in response to a call from Palestinian civil society in 2005, it has attracted exponentially-growing support among Latin American academic and intellectual institutions and associations. Popular organizations and civil society organisations have also begun to support it. Another strand of boycotts, popular among Jewish communities, has emerged which does not associate itself with the official BDS campaign, but supports selective actions such as those targeting the Israeli blockade of Palestine or settlements on land lying outside of the June 1976 Israeli borders.

Special Issue

A forthcoming issue of Latin American Perspectives will critically analyze the Palestinian conflict and its consequences for both Jewish and Muslim communities in their national and international context in Latin America, as well as the broader implications for the Latin American region.  We suggest focusing on four main areas: (1) Latin American governments’ policies on the Palestine issue and their relationships with Israel, both currently and historically (2) the political role in Latin America of Palestinian-ancestry or other Middle Eastern ancestry groups, Muslims, and Jews of any national ancestry (3) pro-Palestinian solidarity movements in Latin America, including their relationships to other social movements and leftist parties; (4) the political role of the media in relation to Palestine and Israel.

Article submissions are welcome on these and related topics. Issues may include but are not restricted to:

  • Changes and continuities in the Jewish and Palestinian migration to Latin America and their economic, political and cultural contribution;
  • The cultural political economy of Palestinian and Jewish diasporas at the national and regional level;
  • Discrimination and integration: anti-Semitism, anti-Islamism and anti-Arabism and approaches to their resolution;
  • Latin American foreign policy towards Israel and Palestine before and after 1948, including relationship with UN policies, with particular focus on the post 2000 period;
  • The Palestinian conflict as seen from Latin America: especially in terms media representation, literary themes and changing popular perceptions;
  • Imperialism, colonialism, the Israel-Palestinian conflict and Latin America historically and in the current era;
  • Israeli support for military and repressive regimes in Latin America, especially since the 1970s, and recent responses;
  • The political economy of Latin American- Israeli relationships and their importance for both sides;
  • Student movements, the left and civil society in Latin America and their engagement with the “Palestinian Question”;
  • The BDS Movement and international solidarity from a Latin American perspective including civil society links and the role of social media.

For further details please contact: Issue Editors: Pablo Pozzi:  ppozzi@arnet.com.ar and Ronaldo Munck ronnie.munck@dcu.ie , or Latin American Perspectives: lap@ucr.edu

Submissions

To avoid duplication of content, please contact the issue editors to let them know of your interest in submitting and your proposed topic.  We encourage submission by December 15, 2016, but this call will remain open as long as it is posted on the LAP web site.

Manuscripts should be no longer than approximately 8,000 words of double-spaced text in English, Spanish, or Portuguese. If possible, submit two copies along with a cover sheet and basic biographical information. With these items, we also require that the manuscript be sent by e-mail. The LAP style guide is available on request or <http://www.latinamericanperspectives.com/manuscript.html> online. Please send any manuscript submissions to: lap@ucr.edu with the subject line – “Your name – MS for Documentary issue”

All manuscripts should be original work that has not been published in English and that is not being submitted to or considered for publication elsewhere in identical or similar form.

If you plan to submit images with your manuscript, please contact the LAP office for specifications.

Managing Editor, Latin American Perspectives¸ P.O. Box 5703, Riverside, California 92517-5703.