Israel protests to Chile over presidential snub of new envoy

This comes after Chile's President Gabriel Boric refused to receive credentials of Israeli Ambassador Gil Artzyeli

By Burak Dag

ANKARA (AA) - The Israeli Foreign Ministry on Friday summoned Chile’s envoy for a "reprimand" after Chilean President Gabriel Boric refused to accept the credentials of the new Israeli ambassador.

"Israel views with severity the puzzling & unprecedented behavior of Chile," the ministry said in on Twitter, adding that the Chilean president’s behavior "seriously harms" the bilateral relations.

Known as the staunch supporter of Palestine, Boric on Thursday refused to accept the credentials of Israeli Ambassador Gil Artzyeli, who was already present at the presidential palace.

"The Chilean Ambassador to Israel has been summoned by the Director General of the MFA on Sunday for a reprimanding conversation in which Israel's response will be made clear to the ambassador," the Israeli Foreign Ministry said.

Chilean media reports said that Boric refused to receive Israeli Ambassador Gil Artzyeli over the killing of a Palestinian youth in the Gaza Strip by the Israeli army.

According to the Times of Israel, Artzyeli said that senior Chilean Foreign Ministry officials “apologized multiple times” to him.

Kaynak: