Dozens of people march in Chile against the “terrorist” state of Israel

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Around 50 people demonstrated this afternoon in Santiago de Chile against Israel and in solidarity with the Palestinian people, in the context of the recent escalation of violence between Palestinians and Israelis.

Through social networks, the organizers called to demonstrate against the “terrorist state of Israel” in the center of the Chilean capital and encouraged them to attend wearing the traditional keffiyeh.

Many of the participants also came with Palestinian flags and the jersey of the Club Deportivo Palestino, of the First Division of Chilean soccer, a team founded by Palestinian immigrants.

This demonstration is in addition to other gestures, such as that of Club Deportivo Palestino itself, which last week took to the field with a keffiyeh and spread messages of support through social networks in recent days.

Chile is home to the largest Palestinian community in the world outside the Middle East: it is estimated that about half a million people of Palestinian descent live in the country, surpassing even states like Egypt and Lebanon.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict escalated on Thursday as Israeli troops moved to the brink of ground intervention in Gaza.

The worst escalation of violence since the 2014 war has left more than 100 dead in Gaza and several hundred wounded, in addition to about a dozen dead in Israel, while heavy riots are reported in Israel’s cities, with lynchings between Arabs and Jews.