Bolivia–Israel Relations

Bolivia and Israel established formal diplomatic relations in 1950, following Bolivia’s support for the 1947 UN Partition Plan.[1][7] Relations remained generally stable for decades but later became closely tied to changes in Bolivia’s government and its responses to Israeli military operations in Gaza.[2][6]

Bolivia severed relations in January 2009, announced a renewal effort in November 2019, and again cut ties on October 31, 2023.[3][8] After Rodrigo Paz’s election, the countries formally restored diplomatic relations on December 9, 2025.[9][4] Beyond formal diplomacy, the relationship has involved tourism and visa policy, Israeli development programs, and the history of Jewish refugees who found shelter in Bolivia during the Nazi era.[5][10]

Bolivia voted in favor of the 1947 UN Partition Plan, which received 33 votes in favor, 13 against, and 10 abstentions.[1] In a 2025 statement at the UN Human Rights Council, Jewish Community of Bolivia president Ricardo Udler also recalled Bolivia’s affirmative vote in connection with Israel’s establishment, although he described it as a vote in 1948.[11] The American Jewish Committee identifies the relevant vote as the 1947 Partition Plan vote.[1]

The diplomatic relationship formally began in 1950, and relations were described as generally positive for decades before the Movement for Socialism rose to power.[2][7] Bolivia also signed a 1972 agreement exempting Israeli visitors from visa requirements.[2][12] A 1985 account of Latin American Jewry records the Israeli ambassador among the accredited ambassadors at the inauguration of Bolivia’s left-wing government in 1982. It also reports that the crowd hissed at the American and Israeli ambassadors and chanted in support of the PLO.[13]

Bolivia became a refuge for Jews escaping Nazi persecution. Udler described it as one of the few Latin American countries to grant visas to Jews fleeing Nazi rule.[11] The World Jewish Congress says the Jewish community grew substantially during the Nazi era, with 12,000 German Jewish immigrants arriving, and credits mining industrialist Moritz (Mauricio) Hochschild with helping about 9,000 German Jews find refuge in Bolivia.[5] Many later moved to other countries, making Bolivia a transit point as well as a place of refuge.[5]

Bolivia severed diplomatic relations with Israel in January 2009 following Israel’s Operation Cast Lead in Gaza.[6][3] A proposed U.S. congressional resolution recited that President Evo Morales announced the break on January 14 and expelled Israel’s ambassador, while a Jewish Virtual Library table records relations as severed that month.[14][7] The Institute for National Security Studies attributes the rupture to the operation’s aftermath while noting that ideological differences had already contributed to deteriorating relations.[6]

Bolivian officials characterized the decision as a protest against Israel’s actions in Gaza. Contemporary accounts report that Morales accused Israel of war crimes or genocide; these were his allegations rather than independently established findings in the cited reports.[2][3] The World Jewish Congress says his government called Israel a “terrorist and genocidal state” and canceled the visa-exemption agreement.[5] A 2014 American Jewish Committee statement instead described Morales as having renounced the 1972 visa treaty, leaving the timing and description of the visa measure inconsistent among the sources.[5][12]

The rupture had effects beyond the bilateral relationship. INSS describes other Latin American governments as having to address how to maintain ties with Israel while regional partners severed theirs.[6] Diplomatic separation did not end every form of contact: the study reports that two Bolivian participants attended Israeli MASHAV programs in 2012, an instance of development-program participation rather than restored diplomatic relations.[6]

The proposed congressional resolution also recited that vandals in La Paz removed a large Star of David from a monument in Plaza Israel on January 21, 2009, painted “plaza Palestina” over Judaic murals, and left a burning American flag.[14] This was an allegation in a proposed resolution, not an independent investigation. In 2014, the American Jewish Committee reported that Cochabamba’s main Jewish cemetery was damaged in a dynamite attack and that the city’s synagogue was attacked with stones and Molotov cocktails in April and again in July.[12] That year Morales called Israel a “terrorist state,” and Bolivia ended visa-free entry for Israeli visitors.[12][9]

Foreign Minister Karen Longaric announced on November 28, 2019, that the transitional government led by Jeanine Áñez would renew diplomatic relations with Israel.[3][15] Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz welcomed the announcement, while Longaric criticized Morales’s earlier decision for failing to consider its economic consequences.[3][4] Accounts differ over the outcome: some describe a short renewal in 2019, another dates renewed relations to 2020, and the Jewish Virtual Library says Áñez’s effort was reversed after the Movement for Socialism returned to power under Luis Arce.[9][8] The available sources therefore do not establish a single uncontested date or duration for this period.[4]

Bolivia again severed diplomatic relations with Israel on October 31, 2023, after Hamas’s October 7 terrorist attack and the outbreak of the Israel–Hamas war.[8][16] Bolivian officials said the decision repudiated what they characterized as an “aggressive and disproportionate” Israeli offensive in Gaza. Acting Foreign Minister María Nela Prada accused Israel of “crimes against humanity” and called for an end to attacks.[16] These were the Bolivian government’s stated allegations, not independent findings established by the reports. Bolivia also announced plans to send aid to Gaza without specifying what it would involve.[16]

Bolivia’s lack of diplomatic relations was still noted in July 2025, when Udler addressed the country’s review at the UN Human Rights Council and urged the renewal of ties.[11] In October, after Rodrigo Paz’s election as president, he told Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar that he intended to restore full diplomatic relations as part of reopening Bolivia to the world.[9]

Israel and Bolivia formally restored diplomatic relations on December 9, 2025, when Sa’ar and Bolivian Foreign Minister Fernando Aramayo signed a joint communiqué in Washington.[4][17] The agreement provided for full diplomatic relations and the appointment of ambassadors, while officials and private-sector representatives exchanged invitations to visit each country.[18]

The renewed framework established continued dialogue between the foreign ministries on bilateral, regional, and multilateral matters. It identified cooperation in agriculture through Israel’s development agency MASHAV, security, water management, health, and efforts against organized crime and narco-terrorism, as well as regular government exchanges.[17]

Bolivia ended its visa requirement for Israeli travelers in early December 2025.[10] Israeli visitors became eligible to enter for up to 90 days without prior visa approval, subject to a valid passport and, where required, proof of yellow-fever vaccination.[19] In January 2026, Israel approved Gali Dagan, its ambassador to Peru, as non-resident ambassador to Bolivia until an embassy opened and a resident ambassador was appointed.[20] In July 2026, Sa’ar met Bolivia’s foreign minister and counterparts from Argentina and Paraguay in Washington for discussions that included bilateral relations, economic cooperation, and innovation.[21]

The relationship illustrates how diplomatic representation, travel rules, and practical cooperation have shifted with changes in Bolivia’s governments and its responses to Israeli military operations in Gaza.[6][16] Even during the post-2009 rupture, participation in MASHAV programs indicated that limited development-related contact could continue without formal diplomatic relations.[6]

The 2025 restoration created a new framework for cooperation and dialogue. Visa-free travel, planned ambassadorial representation, and cooperation in agriculture, water management, health, security, and innovation represented practical efforts to rebuild the relationship.[17][19]

Several dates and descriptions in the historical record require qualification. The American Jewish Committee identifies Bolivia’s relevant UN vote as support for the 1947 Partition Plan, while Udler’s 2025 statement described a “YES” vote at the UN in 1948 connected with Israel’s establishment.[1][11] Sources also differ on whether relations were effectively restored in 2019 or 2020 after the Áñez government’s announcement and on how long the renewal lasted.[9][8]

Accounts likewise differ over the timing of the cancellation of the 1972 visa-exemption arrangement, placing it either with the 2009 rupture or Morales’s actions in 2014.[5][12] Allegations made by Bolivian officials concerning Israel’s conduct in Gaza are presented as attributed political claims rather than findings independently established by the cited reports.[3][16]