Chile’s envoy to Israel at center of political storm over remarks about Palestinians

Chile’s push to rebuild closer ties with Israel is facing a domestic political test after controversial remarks by its ambassador in Tel Aviv, Gabriel Zaliasnik, angered the country’s large Palestinian community and raised questions over the government’s foreign policy.

The dispute has now reached parliament. On 8^th September, the Chamber of Deputies approved an interpellation of Foreign Minister Francisco Pérez Mackenna by 57 votes to 49, with one abstention. The session is scheduled for 28^th September, when Socialist lawmaker Nelson Venegas is expected to question the minister over Zaliasnik’s remarks, the government’s response, and its decision to keep the ambassador in his post.

The controversy began after Zaliasnik appeared in late August on the programme “Defending Israel”, hosted by David Harris, former executive director of the American Jewish Committee.

During the interview, Zaliasnik questioned commonly cited estimates of the size of Chile’s Palestinian community and discussed its political influence, suggesting that population figures had increased over the years and had been used for political purposes.

He also addressed the community’s presence and influence in Chilean public life.

Chilean media reported that Zaliasnik also criticised the foreign policy of former President Gabriel Boric and discussed the possibility of changes in Chile’s approach to voting on Middle East-related issues at the United Nations.

The remarks triggered anger within the Palestinian community, not only because of the dispute over population figures but also over the way an official Chilean ambassador portrayed citizens of Palestinian descent before an international audience.

📻 “Lo que ocurrió en esa entrevista no representa la opinión del gobierno”

Sobre los dichos del embajador de Chile en Israel, Gabriel Zaliasnik, respecto a la comunidad Palestina, en #MesaCentral conversamos con Francisco Pérez Mackenna, ministro de Relaciones Exteriores.… pic.twitter.com/tywYkBSFTk

— Tele13 Radio (@Tele13_Radio) September 4, 2026

Former Chilean Ambassador Nelson Hadad told MEMO that the controversy had caused deep concern within the Palestinian community and argued that Zaliasnik should no longer remain in his post.

Hadad described the ambassador’s remarks as “derogatory and offensive” towards a community that has been part of Chilean society for more than a century. “They are Chileans of Palestinian origin, but they are Chileans,”

Hadad said, highlighting the community’s contribution to the country’s economic, academic, political and diplomatic life.

He said Zaliasnik’s comments risked casting suspicion on an entire section of Chilean society.

READ: Has Palestine become an election issue in Latin America’s largest country?

“This integration has been complete,” Hadad said, referring to the Palestinian community’s participation in Chilean public life.

Hadad backed calls for the ambassador’s removal. “We are insisting on his resignation,” he added.

On 29^th August, the Palestinian community in Chile issued an open letter to President José Antonio Kast, accusing Zaliasnik of engaging in “collective stigmatisation” of Chileans of Palestinian descent.

The organisation argued that portraying the community as a large and politically influential bloc, while simultaneously casting doubt on its numbers and intentions, contributed to a climate of suspicion toward Chilean citizens because of their ancestry.

The letter stressed that members of the community were not asking the government to adopt their political views regarding Palestine or Israel, but to treat and protect them as Chilean citizens.

Its central message was straightforward: “We are Chileans.”

Declaración Pública del Grupo Interparlamentario
Chileno-Palestino de la Cámara de Diputadas y
Diputados sobre las declaraciones del
embajador de Chile en Israel, Gabriel Zaliasnik. pic.twitter.com/0ys9j2Nlbn

— Comunidad Palestina de Chile (@ComPalestinaCL) August 31, 2026

On the same day, after the Foreign Ministry contacted the ambassador and asked him to clarify his remarks, Zaliasnik issued a public statement expressing regret for language that could have offended the Palestinian community.

He said he had not intended to offend or harm Chilean citizens of Palestinian descent and sought to frame his comments within the historical relationship between the Palestinian and Jewish communities in Chile.

The clarification did not end the controversy. On 31^st August, the government publicly distanced itself from Zaliasnik’s remarks. Claudio Alvarado, then serving as minister of the Interior and secretary-general of government, said the government did not share the ambassador’s statements and that Zaliasnik had made a mistake. He added that the Foreign Ministry would address the matter internally.

Foreign Minister Francisco Pérez Mackenna said Zaliasnik had not sought ministry authorisation before the interview. The ambassador was ordered to correct his remarks and received a formal written reprimand, but the government stopped short of dismissing him.

Hadad, who previously served Chile as ambassador, said diplomats cannot easily separate their personal political views from their official position. “When an ambassador speaks, he is speaking on behalf of his government and on behalf of his country,” he said.

He argued that ambassadors must exercise particular restraint when speaking publicly about politically sensitive matters and said the position should be exercised “with dignity” and “with respect for all sectors of Chilean society”.

The interview also attracted criticism because Zaliasnik appeared in front of a map depicting the occupied Palestinian territories as part of Israel.

Hadad said the ambassador should have objected to the setting. “The minimum respect required asking for that map to be removed,” he said.

The Chilean-Palestinian Interparliamentary Group also cited the map, alongside Zaliasnik’s comments concerning possible changes in Chile’s voting positions in international organisations, as reasons to question whether he could continue to represent Chile’s established foreign policy.

“It’s like the health ministry of Hamas; they play with the numbers,” Chile’s Ambassador to Israel, Gabriel Zaliasnik, says on Israeli TV when asked about the size of the Palestinian community in Chile. pic.twitter.com/2JdNKjatFZ

— Benjamin Alvarez (@BenjAlvarez1) August 29, 2026

Zaliasnik’s case is one of 13 areas included in the questioning scheduled for 28^th September. Lawmakers are expected to ask why the ambassador remains in office despite the Foreign Ministry formally rejecting his remarks and issuing a reprimand. The government has pointed to Zaliasnik’s role in rebuilding relations between Chile and Israel as one factor in maintaining him in the post.

Hadad, however, said disciplinary action was insufficient. “There is no other way to repair the harm caused to the honour and legitimate dignity of the Palestinian community in Chile than through the resignation of Ambassador Zaliasnik,” he said.

#DeclaraciónPública Grupo de Amistad del Senado, manifiesta profunda preocupación por la conducta reiterada del embajador de Israel en Chile, señor Peleg Lewi. pic.twitter.com/J1FEtJdtK2

— Comunidad Palestina de Chile (@ComPalestinaCL) August 11, 2026

The dispute comes as Kast’s government seeks to strengthen relations with Israel following a period of tension under former President Gabriel Boric. Zaliasnik was appointed ambassador in June and presented his credentials to Israeli President Isaac Herzog in August. Since then, Chile and Israel have discussed cooperation in trade, security, defence, technology, water management and innovation.

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Hadad said he was particularly concerned about expanding military and security cooperation and argued that Chile’s rapprochement with Israel could not be separated from developments in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories.

The Kast government, however, has presented the renewed relationship as an effort to restore bilateral diplomatic and economic ties.

The controversy has, therefore, become more than a dispute over one ambassador’s comments. It has emerged as an early political test of how Kast’s government intends to balance closer relations with Israel with domestic concerns raised by Chile’s Palestinian community and opposition lawmakers.

For Hadad, however, the immediate issue remains Zaliasnik’s position. “In our view, the damage cannot otherwise be repaired,” he concluded.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.