Palestinians in Latin America show solidarity over Gaza strikes

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Updated 04 June 2021
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Palestinians in Latin America show solidarity over Gaza strikes

  • Protests have taken place in major cities across the region against Israel’s attacks
  • The diaspora in Latin America is campaigning for participation in Palestinian elections

SAO PAULO: Palestinian communities in Latin America and their supporters have organized protests in major cities across the region in response to last month’s Israeli attacks on Gaza.

“The attacks were very painful for us,” Jaime Abedrapo, a Palestinian-Chilean political scientist, told Arab News. “We have relatives and friends living there, and we know that those strikes have been frequent over the past years. It’s a systemic problem.”

An estimated 1 million Palestinians live in Central and South America, especially in Chile, Honduras, Colombia and El Salvador.

About 500,000 live in Chile, forming the largest Palestinian community in Latin America.

On May 18, massive marches were organized in the capital Santiago and the city of Vina del Mar against the Israeli strikes.

“I’m part of the third generation of Palestinian Chileans, a group that has been demonstrating a great connection with Palestine and its challenges,” said Abedrapo.

He added that young Palestinian Chileans have been active on social media, criticizing what they see as biased coverage from mainstream media outlets.

“The world is changing. The younger generations are more worried about human rights. Chilean society as a whole is now more conscious of the Palestinian situation,” he said.

In Brazil, where the Palestinian community is estimated to number 100,000, there were demonstrations against the Israeli bombings as Palestinians desperately sought to stay in contact with their relatives in Gaza.

“My children, sisters and cousins live there,” Palestinian-born medical doctor Ahmed Shehada told Arab News. “I was in touch with them 24 hours a day. The number of dead and wounded kept growing all the time.”

Although the attacks only caused material damage for Shehada’s relatives, he was outraged at the killing of Palestinian civilians, especially children.

The Brazil-Palestine Institute, over which he presides, has been campaigning to raise awareness of the issue among Brazilians.

“One of the most relevant things we can do is spread the truth about the Israeli occupation and mobilize civic institutions, progressive social movements and political parties against Israel’s crimes,” he said.

One of Shehada’s concerns is the role of the Brazilian government in the international arena when it comes to the Palestinian question.

A close ally of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Jair Bolsonaro in 2019 announced that he would move the Brazilian Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, though that has not yet happened.

Shehada lamented that the Bolsonaro administration “has joined a small group of countries in supporting shameful stances against the Palestinians’ rights.”

Adel Turjman, a Palestinian-born resident in Guatemala, also worries about the Central American country’s stance on the Palestine question.

In 2018, then-President Jimmy Morales moved the Guatemalan Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.

“When his successor Alejandro Giammatei took office, we tried to talk to him about the need to respect UN resolutions. Unfortunately, we haven’t had success,” Turjman told Arab News.

Though the Palestinian community in Guatemala is not large, it has demonstrated against the bombing of Gaza.

“It doesn’t matter if one is Christian or Muslim — my cousins suffer like any other Palestinian under the Israeli state,” said Turjman, who is from a Palestinian-Christian family and has cousins living in Jerusalem.

Meanwhile, Palestinian communities in Latin America have been campaigning for the participation of all the diaspora in the Palestinian National Council (PNC) election.

On Jan. 15, President Mahmoud Abbas announced that the election would take place on Aug. 31.

But with the suspension of the election for the Palestinian Legislative Council that had been scheduled for May 22, it is uncertain now how the electoral process will evolve.

Simaan Khoury, president of the Palestinian Union in Latin America, is a vocal supporter of the diaspora’s participation in the PNC election.

A resident in El Salvador, where the Palestinian community numbers 150,000, he said many of his countrymen have demonstrated against Israel’s attacks.

“A brighter future” for “a free Palestine” can only be achieved with sovereign elections with the participation of all Palestinians, including the diaspora, he told Arab News.

“The Palestinian Latin Americans have never lost pride in their blood. We arrived here barefoot and now we’re doctors, businessmen, industrialists, poets,” Khoury said.

He added that Palestinian communities in Latin America lack regional organization and communication, but expressed hope that such problems would be resolved soon.

“Unfortunately, Palestinian domestic politics also divided us here in Latin America, but we love our nation and we want to take part in the decisions,” he said. “According to the (Palestinian) constitution, we have the right to do so.”


Thai, Cambodian army chiefs to meet over border clash

Updated 3 sec ago
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Thai, Cambodian army chiefs to meet over border clash

  • A Cambodian soldier was killed on Wednesday during an exchange of gunfire with the Thai army at the border
  • Cambodia and Thailand have long been at odds over their more than 800-kilometer-long border

BANGKOK: The military chiefs of Thailand and Cambodia will meet Thursday, both governments said, after a Cambodian soldier was killed in a border clash.

Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra told reporters on Thursday that “both sides should remain calm and discuss to see what we can agree,” and called for peaceful discussion.

Her Cambodian counterpart Hun Manet wrote on Facebook that he hoped the meeting between the two army commanders “will yield positive results.”

Thai Defense Minister Phumtham Wechayachai told journalists the talks will be held on Thursday afternoon, adding that there had been a “misunderstanding by both sides.”

A Cambodian soldier was killed on Wednesday during an exchange of gunfire with the Thai army at the border, a Cambodian army spokesman said.

His death – a rare fatality along the long-sensitive frontier – came after Cambodian and Thai leaders attended a Southeast Asian summit where the regional ASEAN grouping vowed greater cooperation.

Thailand’s military said Wednesday that its soldiers fired in response to gunshots from Cambodia’s border force, leading to an exchange lasting around 10 minutes before the Thai side said the Cambodians requested a ceasefire.

Cambodian Royal Army spokesman Mao Phalla confirmed the clash on Wednesday, but said Thai soldiers had attacked Cambodian troops who were on border patrol duty in northern Preah Vihear province.

“Our soldier died in the trenches. The Thais came to attack us,” Mao Phalla said.

Cambodia and Thailand have long been at odds over their more than 800-kilometer-long (500-mile) border, which was largely drawn during the French occupation of Indochina.

Bloody military clashes between the Southeast Asian neighbors erupted in 2008 over the Preah Vihear temple near their shared border.

The row over a patch of land next to the 900-year-old temple led to several years of sporadic violence, resulting in at least 28 deaths before the International Court of Justice ruled the disputed area belonged to Cambodia.

In February, Bangkok formally protested to Phnom Penh after a video of women singing a patriotic Khmer song in front of another disputed temple was posted on social media.

On Thursday, influential former Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen – Hun Manet’s father, and an ally of Paetongtarn’s father, ex-Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra – urged calm and a peaceful resolution to the ongoing border issues between the two countries.

Paetongtarn traveled to Cambodia in April for a two-day visit, during which she met Hun Manet to discuss cross-border cooperation on issues such as online scams and air pollution.


Navy plane crashes in South Korea

Updated 47 min 1 sec ago
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Navy plane crashes in South Korea

SEOUL: A navy plane has crashed in the southern city of Pohang in South Korea, a local government official said on Thursday.
The crash happened at around 1:50 p.m. (0450 GMT), the official at the Pohang city government said.
Four people were on board the patrol plane which crashed in the mountains on the east coast, the Yonhap News Agency reported, citing authorities.
Smoke was seen from the location where the plane appeared to have crashed, Yonhap said, citing a civilian witness.


Early voting starts for South Korea election triggered by martial law

Updated 29 May 2025
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Early voting starts for South Korea election triggered by martial law

  • South Koreans are desperate to draw a line under months of political turmoil
  • The Asian democracy has been led by a revolving door of lame duck acting presidents

SEOUL: Early voting in South Korea’s presidential elections began on Thursday, with both main candidates casting ballots in a poll triggered by ex-leader Yoon Suk Yeol’s ill-fated suspension of civilian rule last year.

South Koreans are desperate to draw a line under months of political turmoil sparked by Yoon’s declaration of martial law, for which he was impeached.

Since then the Asian democracy has been led by a revolving door of lame duck acting presidents as its export-driven economy grapples with trade turmoil abroad and sluggish demand at home.

All major polls have placed liberal Lee Jae-myung as the clear frontrunner in the presidential race, with a recent Gallup survey showing 49 percent of respondents viewed him as the best candidate.

Trailing behind him is conservative ex-labor minister Kim Moon-soo of the ruling People Power Party – Yoon’s former party – at 35 percent.

While election day is set for June 3, those who want to vote early can do so on Thursday and Friday.

South Koreans have in recent years turned out in growing numbers for early voting, with 37 percent casting their ballots ahead of polling day in the 2022 presidential election.

By midday the early voting turnout rate was 8.7 percent, the highest yet for that time in South Korean election history, according to Seoul’s National Election Commission.

The overseas voter turnout also reached a historic high, with four-fifths of 1.97 million eligible voters casting their ballots.

“Given that this election was held in the wake of an impeachment and a martial law crisis, it naturally reflects the public’s strong desire to express their thoughts about democracy in South Korea,” Kang Joo-hyun, a political science professor at Sookmyung Women’s University, said.

Voting in Seoul on Thursday morning, Lee told reporters: “There’s a saying that a vote is more powerful than a bullet.”

“Even an insurrection can only truly be overcome through the people’s participation at the ballot box,” added Lee of the Democratic Party.

According to a Gallup poll, more than half of his supporters said they planned to vote early, compared to just 16 percent of Kim’s supporters.

Kim has said he will cast his vote in Incheon, west of Seoul, with his campaign framing it as “the beginning of a dramatic turnaround,” a nod to General Douglas MacArthur’s landing there during the Korean War.

Kim’s decision to vote early has surprised many on the right, where conspiracy theories about electoral fraud – particularly during early voting – are rife.

The 73-year-old however reassured his supporters that there is “nothing to worry about.”

“If you hesitate to vote early and end up missing the main election, it would be a major loss,” said Kim on Wednesday.

“Our party will mobilize all its resources to ensure strict monitoring and oversight of early voting,” he said.

“So please don’t worry and take part in it,” he said.

After early voting, Kim insisted he still has time to win the race.

“We’re closing the gap quickly, and at this pace, I’m confident we’ll take the lead soon,” he told reporters.

Conservative candidate Kim shot to public attention in the aftermath of Yoon’s martial law debacle, when he declined to bow in apology to the public for failing to prevent the suspension of civilian rule.

In contrast, lawyer-turned-politician Lee played a central role in stopping the push to suspect civilian rule, live-streaming his frantic drive to parliament and his scramble over the perimeter fence as he and other lawmakers raced to vote down the decree.

He has since vowed to “bring insurrection elements to justice” if elected president.

But whoever succeeds Yoon will have to grapple with a deepening economic downturn, some of the world’s lowest birth rates and a soaring cost of living.

He will also have to navigate a mounting superpower standoff between the United States, Seoul’s traditional security guarantor, and China, its largest trade partner.


East Timor to deport former Philippine lawmaker wanted in 2023 killings

Updated 29 May 2025
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East Timor to deport former Philippine lawmaker wanted in 2023 killings

  • Former Philippines congressman Arnolfo Teves allegedly masterminded a March 2023 attack that killed then-provincial governor Roel Degamo and nine others

MANILA: East Timor has agreed to deport an Interpol-wanted Philippines murder suspect after two years of political wrangling, with the government linking the case to its aspirations to join the regional ASEAN bloc.

Former Philippines congressman Arnolfo Teves allegedly masterminded a March 2023 attack that killed then-provincial governor Roel Degamo and nine others.

Teves was detained at a driving range in Dili last year, but a Timorese court blocked his extradition. Manila’s justice secretary suggested the decision may have been bought, saying it was “obvious that some people are making money out of this.”

In an abrupt turnaround, East Timor late on Wednesday announced Teves’ impending deportation, saying his continued presence represented a security risk.

“The Government hereby informs that Arnolfo Teves Jr. will be deported from Timor-Leste,” it said in a statement, using the country’s alternate name.

It added that East Timor’s “imminent full accession” to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) had reinforced its responsibility to collaborate regionally on legal matters.

On Thursday, Manila’s Department of Justice said it was preparing a team to facilitate Teves’ repatriation based on deportation documents from East Timor.

Ex-lawmaker Teves is the prime suspect in the murder of former Negros Oriental governor Degamo.

Degamo had been distributing aid at his home in Pamplona when six people carrying rifles and dressed in military fatigues entered the compound and opened fire on March 4, 2023.

The killings came months after Degamo was declared winner of a disputed vote, unseating Henry Teves, the ex-lawmaker’s brother.

Arnolfo Teves was expelled from the House of Representatives after refusing to return to the Philippines to face murder charges.

On Wednesday, Teves’ son Axl posted videos on social media of his father being dragged away by Timorese police, claiming he had been “kidnapped.”

Degamo’s widow Janice, meanwhile, called the arrest a “significant step toward justice.”

Teves is currently being held in detention while awaiting administrative processing, a source at Dili’s interior ministry said.


German leader offers to help Ukraine develop its own long-range missiles to hit Russia

Updated 29 May 2025
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German leader offers to help Ukraine develop its own long-range missiles to hit Russia

  • But some of the advanced weapon systems that allies have supplied to Ukraine were subject to range and target restrictions2
  • After the United States, Germany has been the biggest individual supplier of military aid to Ukraine

BERLIN: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz pledged Wednesday to help Ukraine develop its own long-range missile systems that would be free of any Western-imposed limitations on their use and targets as the Kyiv government fights to repel Russia’s invasion.
Some of the advanced weapon systems that allies have supplied to Ukraine during the 3-year war were subject to range and target restrictions — a fraught political issue stemming from fears that if the weapons struck deep inside Russia, the Kremlin might retaliate against the country that provided them and draw NATO into Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II.
Standing beside visiting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Merz said that under an intensified cooperation agreement, Germany “will strive to equip the Ukrainian army with all the capabilities that truly enable it to successfully defend the country,” including upgraded domestic missile production.

After the United States, Germany has been the biggest individual supplier of military aid to Ukraine.
“Ukraine will be able to fully defend itself, including against military targets outside its own territory” with its own missiles, Merz said at a joint news conference.
Hours after Merz’s pledge, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov publicly invited Ukraine to hold direct peace talks with Moscow in Istanbul on June 2.
In a video statement, he said that Russia would use the meeting to deliver a memorandum setting out Moscow’s position on “reliably overcoming the root causes of the crisis.” He also said any Russian delegation would again be headed by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky.
“We hope that all those who are sincerely interested in the success of the peace process in more than just words will support a new round of direct Russian-Ukrainian negotiations in Istanbul,” Lavrov said.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said his country isn’t opposed to such direct peace talks but it still hasn’t seen the memorandum promised by Russia and that further meetings would be “empty” without it.
“We call on them to fulfill that promise without delay and stop trying to turn the meeting into a destructive one,” Umerov wrote on X. He said he had handed such a document with the Ukrainian position to the Russian side.
Low-level delegations from Russia and Ukraine held their first direct peace talks in three years in Istanbul on May 16. The talks, which lasted two hours, brought no significant breakthrough, although both sides agreed to the largest prisoner exchange of the war. It was carried out last weekend and freed 1,000 captives on each side.
Germany doesn’t mention its Taurus cruise missiles
Merz declined to say whether Germany will supply its advanced Taurus long-range cruise missile to Ukraine — long a request by Kyiv and a step that Berlin has resisted.
The decision not to commit to giving Taurus missiles to Ukraine was a “big disappointment,” said lawmaker Roderich Kiesewetter, a senior member of Merz’s party, the Christian Democratic Union.
Merz loves “very strong personal statements” but is not able to back them up with support from his coalition partners, Kiesewetter told The Associated Press.
“We have a Moscow connection in Germany,” Kiesewetter said, suggesting some politicians are in favor of Ukraine ceding territory to Russia to end the war, along with lifting some sanctions.

A Taurus KEPD 350 German-Swedish air-launched cruise missile, manufactured by Taurus System is on display as Bavarian State Premier visits European multinational missiles manufacturer MBDA in Schrobenhausen, southern Germany, on March 5, 2024. (AFP)

Asked about Germany’s offer to fund long-range missile production in Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded that the move was an obstacle to reaching a peace agreement.
Both Merz and Zelensky criticized the Kremlin’s effective rejection of an unconditional ceasefire proposed by the US, which Kyiv accepted. Kyiv says Moscow has been slow to respond to proposals for a settlement.
Merz said last Monday that Germany and other major allies were no longer imposing range limits on weapons they send to Ukraine, although he indicated their use was limited to Russian military targets. Ukraine has launched its own long-range drones against sites that support Russia’s military efforts, including refineries and chemical plants.
Then-US President Joe Biden last year authorized Ukraine to use US-supplied missiles for limited strikes in Russia. The decision allowed Ukraine to use the Army Tactical Missile System, known as ATACMS, against Russia.
In Berlin, Zelensky called for deeper defense cooperation across Europe and with Washington, stressing the need for long-range capabilities and sustained military funding to ensure Ukraine’s resilience.
He said the cooperation projects already exist. “We simply want (the missiles) to be produced in the quantity we need,” Zelensky told reporters.
Zelensky said Tuesday that Ukraine is ready to hold peace talks at the highest level, including a trilateral meeting with himself, Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump.
“We are ready to meet at the level of leaders. Both the American side knows this, and the Russian side knows this,” he said. Zelensky said he would accept any configuration of talks, whether that includes one trilateral meeting or separate meetings with Trump.
Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, said Russia is grateful to Trump for his mediation efforts.
“At the same time, there is a big number of nuances to be discussed that can’t be neglected and which neither party is going to sacrifice, because of its national interests,” Peskov told reporters. “Just like the United States, Russia has its national interests that are of primary importance to us.”
Front-line fighting, deep strikes continue
Meanwhile, fighting has continued along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line, where Ukraine’s army is shorthanded against its bigger adversary. Zelensky claimed Tuesday that Russia is mobilizing up to 45,000 men every month, while Ukraine mobilizes between 25,000-27,000.
Both sides are continuing to conduct deep strikes. Russia launched its biggest drone attack of the war against Ukraine on Sunday.
Russian air defenses downed 296 Ukrainian drones over 13 Russian regions late Tuesday and early Wednesday, Russia’s Defense Ministry said, in what appeared to be one of the biggest Ukrainian drone assaults of the war.
Ukraine is increasing its domestic production of drones and missiles, according to Zelensky. He said late Tuesday that Ukraine wants European countries to help it invest in the manufacture of attack drones, air defense interceptors, cruise missiles and ballistic systems.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said air defenses shot down Ukrainian 33 drones heading toward the capital. Moscow regional Gov. Andrei Vorobyov said 42 drones were downed. He said drone fragments damaged three residential buildings in the village of Troitskoye, but no one was hurt.
More than 60 flights were canceled Wednesday in Moscow as the capital’s airports were forced to ground planes amid drone warnings, said the federal aviation agency, Rosaviatsiya.
Overnight, Russian forces launched an attack on Ukraine using five Iskander ballistic missiles, one guided air-launched missile and 88 drones, Ukraine’s air force said. Air defense units shot down 34 drones, and 37 drones were jammed.