Cartoon by Carlos Latuff. @LatuffCartoons. Click to see full-size image
On December 6th, Bolivian Interior Minister Arturo Murillo said that the interim coup government had called on Israel to offer assistance in his country’s fight against “leftist terrorists.”
Scarce details were provided, but Murillo claimed that Bolivian police were investigating radical leftists allegedly linked to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and drug-traffickers. These people were allegedly causing instability in the country.
The self-proclaimed interim president Jeanine Anez and her coup government, after Bolivia President Evo Morales’ resignation has heavily swing the government to the right. She cut ties with Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua and restarted diplomatic relations with the US and Israel.
The coup government also set up police units to conduct counter-terrorism operations. TV footage broadcast on local media have showed police in face masks with guns in training sessions.
In order to fight and repress the predominantly indigenous population, which is also filled with pro-Morales protesters, the Bolivian coup government needs help in a government with experience in the field, thus Israel was called in.
“We’ve invited them to help us,” Murillo told Reuters. “They’re used to dealing with terrorists. They know how to handle them,” he said of the Israelis. “The only thing we want is to bring peace.”
To consolidate power, the coup government in Bolivia is now creating this “anti-terrorist” police force with the objective of “dismantling foreign groups, who want to destabilize the country,” according to the self-proclaimed interim president Jeanine Áñez.
The enormous mobilizations of the inhabitants of El Alto and Cochabamba were allegedly being driven by the Venezuelan government of Nicolás Maduro. They are the same people who were victim to violent crackdowns from security forces.
The coup government asked for help from a country that already has experience in training military personnel from Latin American countries.
Back in the 70s and 80s, Israel was of significant help to the Pinochet dictatorship in Chile. In 1976, Israel became the main arms seller to the Trans-Andean country and the country’s Air Force, in addition to having technological inputs, received advice from Israeli military experts.
In 1984, the Israeli Minister of Communications (when the Prime Minister was Shimon Peres) arrived in Chile and defended the dictatorship stating that “the media had misrepresented the Chilean military regime, just as it happened to us with the issue of Palestinian terrorists.”
Keeping in mind this historical background, the request for help from Israel is not surprising. Murillo made it clear: “They are used to dealing with terrorists, they know how to treat them.”
The treatment Israel gives to those they consider “terrorists” is no secret.
“Former” Bolivian President Evo Morales, on December 8th, said that El Paz didn’t need support from any external forces, and specifically from Israel.
Bolivia no necesita fuerzas militares externas para arreglar sus diferencias ideológicas y programáticas, somos de la cultura del diálogo y la paz.
— Evo Morales Ayma (@evoespueblo) December 8, 2019
“The coup government asks for help from the Zionist government of Israel to fight the left. The coup plotters are violent, they do not respect freedom, as well as the dignity and identity of the people, by inviting foreign military intervention with their policies that divide brothers.”
“Bolivia does not need foreign military intervention to solve its ideological and systemic issues, we come from a culture of dialogue and peace,” he said.
Repression and violence continue in Bolivia to thwart any indigenous support of Evo Morales.
It's been a month since the fascist coup in #Bolivia.
Since then,
• 30+ people have died
• 700+ people have been injured
• Indigenous rights have been stripped
• Social programs have been cut
• Relations with Israel have been restoredFood for thought on #HumanRightsDay pic.twitter.com/OUtYYENVbV
— ANTICONQUISTA (@ANTICONQUISTA) December 10, 2019
Furthermore, the coup government’s self-proclaimed Interim President Jeanine Anez won 4% of the votes in the election, and is now leading the country, openly expressing far-right fundamentalist ideology in a predominantly indigenous country.
This is a look at the real Jeanine Añez, a murderous far-right US-backed dictator whose fringe party got 4% of votes but now claims to be "president," who is actively destroying Bolivia's secular plurinational democracy and erasing the Indigenous majority pic.twitter.com/Z5XgyI8nPU
— Ben Norton (@BenjaminNorton) December 9, 2019
There are protests on-going in Potosi, Bolivia in the early hours of December 11th.
?Happening Now #Bolivia? in Potosí, Many from El Alto came to defend their homeland, this is truly impressive!
IT IS TIME TO ACT!
The People demand you leave us in PEACE!ZERO MEDIA COVERAGE, LETS MAKE THIS GO VIRAL!
Retweet!!! pic.twitter.com/lAMHuH3fvs
— Terrence Daniels (Captain Planet) (@Terrence_STR) December 11, 2019
The OAS on December 9th published its final decision on the elections in Bolivia, and deemed them invalid due to “deliberate and malicious” actions taken by Evo Morales.
The U.S. concurs with the 36 experts from 18 nations on the final @OAS_official report on #Bolivia's elections concluding that there were deliberate and malicious actions taken in favor of Evo Morales. Bolivians deserve a transparent election that reflects the will of the people. pic.twitter.com/FxrLGULiPR
— Morgan Ortagus (@statedeptspox) December 9, 2019
Even Uruguay, a member of the OAS said that the organization had no place to meddle in the internal affairs of Bolivia.
Additionally, more than 100 international experts were cited as saying that the accusations by the OAS and its decision to deem the elections invalid are “baseless.”
In a statement by more than 100 experts, with statistical analysis included, evidence is provided that shows the OAS’ decision is not sufficiently justified, in addition the experts call on the US government to look into the coup government’s human rights abuses and ends its support for it.
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