Israel rebukes Chile envoy for cancelling ambassador’s credential ceremony

The Israeli Foreign Ministry has summoned Chile’s ambassador to rebuke him after Chilean President Gabriel Boric cancelled the credential ceremony for the new Israeli ambassador to Santiago, Israeli media reported on Friday.

Gil Artzyeli, the new Israeli ambassador, was already at the presidential palace for a scheduled presentation when Chilean Foreign Minister Antonia Urrejola told him that the ceremony had been postponed until October.

This came following reports passed to Boric about Israel’s killing of a Palestinian boy in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin.

“Israel views Chile’s bizarre and unprecedented behaviour with severity,” Israeli Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Emmanuel Nachshon shared on Friday.

“This seriously harms relations between the two countries. Chile’s ambassador to Israel was summoned to the Foreign Ministry director-general on Sunday for a reprimand,” he added.

Boric won the presidency earlier this year, and in a meeting with the Jewish community during his electoral campaign, he called Israel a “murderous state”.

READ: Israel to reprimand Chile for snubbing its new ambassador to Santiago