Bolivia, Israel to renew diplomatic ties

Earlier this month Bolivia lifted visa requirements for Israeli travelers following weeks of negotiations.

By JNS

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and his Bolivian counterpart Fernando Aramayo were scheduled to meet in Washington on Tuesday to sign an agreement restoring diplomatic relations between the two nations, Israel’s Foreign Ministry announced Monday.

Bolivia’s Finance Minister José Gabriel Espinoza will also participate in the event, the ministry said.

The agreement ends a two-year diplomatic freeze that began when the previous government, led by the Socialist Mas Party, severed ties with Israel in the wake of Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023 massacre, announcing the move on Nov. 1 of that year.

Chile, Colombia, and Honduras soon all followed suit, recalling their ambassadors from Israel and downgrading official representation.

Sa’ar spoke with Bolivia’s center-right President Rodrigo Paz the day after his election in October, marking one of the new leader’s first diplomatic calls.

During that conversation, Sa’ar conveyed Israel’s desire to open a new chapter in relations, while Paz expressed his intention to lead Bolivia toward greater international engagement and reestablish ties with Israel, according to the ministry statement.

In November, Eden Bar-Tal, director-general of Israel’s Foreign Ministry, represented the country at Paz’s inauguration in Bolivia.

Earlier this month, Bolivia lifted visa requirements for Israeli travelers, following weeks of negotiations between the two foreign ministries to finalize the agreement text and joint statement.