Bolivian President Evo Morales has sent a formal letter on Wednesday to acting Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas recognizing Palestine as an independent and sovereign state.
Bolivian President Evo Morales has sent a formal letter on Wednesday to acting Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas recognizing Palestine as an independent and sovereign state. Morales said in his letter that his government “could not continue waiting with its arms crossed given the problems of human rights, territory and sovereignty.” He said at a press conference that he recognized Palestine as "an independent and sovereign state... as have other countries like Brazil." A Foreign Ministry official later confirmed that Bolivia declared its full support for Palestine in the letter. La Paz cut off diplomatic ties with Israel in January 2009 over Israel's three-week war on Gaza Strip, which killed over 1,400 Palestinians, mostly women and children. Over 130 countries have officially recognized Palestine as a state based on the 1967 borders, the boundaries that existed before Israel captured East al-Quds (Jerusalem), the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. Bolivia now joins the list of South American countries that have recognized a fully sovereign Palestinian state on the 1967 borders. In early December, Argentina, Cuba, Brazil and Venezuela declared recognition of Palestine as a "free and independent state.” Uruguay has announced plans to do so next year. The United States has so far refused to recognize an independent Palestinian state.Bolivia Follows LA Countries in Recognizing Sovereign Palestine
