Chile's Palestinian Diaspora Reacts to Israel-Hamas War
Despite being separated by more than 8,000 miles and a vast ocean, Chile has become one of the most vocal Palestinian supporters.
The Andean nation is "home to the largest Palestinian population outside of the Middle East". An estimated 500,000 Chilean citizens can trace their lineage back to the state.
"Roots run deep" in Chile for the Palestinian community, with immigration to the nation beginning in the late 19th century, "when Christians fled the faltering Ottoman Empire", the broadcaster explained.
Despite most Chileans with Palestinian heritage identifying as Christian, this in "no way diminishes the national feeling" of support for the majority-Muslim state.
The Gazan conflict has "hit close to home" for Chileans, who have "threaded" Palestinian culture into their everyday lives. This group of Chileans, and their allies, are now putting increased pressure on their government to act.
The "visibility" of Chile's Palestinians "in some of the highest government offices" has impacted foreign policy in recent weeks. "Powerful" pressure groups are urging the government to act on Palestinian "human rights", with the public conversation taking a "more long-term historical perspective".
This ultimately resulted in the nation's President Gabriel Boric speaking out to not only condemn Hamas, but also the "indiscriminate attacks against civilians carried out by the Israeli army in Gaza". The nation has also withdrawn its ambassador from Israel.
But for Chilean Palestinians, the fight will not stop until the people of Palestine are liberated.
In an act of unity, Georges Abed, a Syrian-born priest in central Santiago, "the original landing zone for Palestinians in Chile", invited Chilean Muslims and the Palestinian ambassador to his mass. At the service, "keffiyehs, hijabs and Palestinian flags were sprinkled throughout the pews".
"Though we are completely separate geographically," said the ambassador, "you feel their presence, their connection to the land."