Bolivia designates Israel as a terrorist state

The government of Bolivia has declared Israel a terrorist state after it attacked a designated United Nations shelter in the Gaza Strip for the second time in as many weeks.

Fox News Latino says that Bolivian President Evo Morales made the announcement as he met with teachers in the Andean community of Cochabamba.

Morales justified the decision to designate Israel as a terrorist state by saying, "Israel is not a guarantor of the principles of respect for life and the elementary precept of rights that govern the peaceful and harmonious coexistence of our international community."

Relations between the two countries were already strained before the most recent Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip. Bolivia cut off diplomatic relations with Israel the last time it invaded the Gaza Strip in 2009.

The Star Tribune reports the designation of Israel as a terrorist nation means that a 1972 accord providing for visa-free travel between the two countries is now void. This is because the Bolivian government will now officially view any Israeli citizen as a terrorist.

There is a hint of irony in that fact, as many Israelis have justified the deaths of civilians in the Gaza Strip by saying they support Hamas, which makes them de facto terrorists.

Two weeks ago, a week into the most recent invasion, Morales filed a formal request at the UN to prosecute Israel for war crimes.

Bolivia is not the only nation to have taken issue with Israel's recent actions in the Gaza Strip. The nations of Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, El Salvador, and Peru have all recalled their ambassadors from Israel.

At the same time, a majority of the members in trade bloc of Latin American nations known as MERCOSUR condemned Israel for what it described as "disproportionate use of force."

MERCOSUR is made up of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Venezuela, and Uruguay. Paraguay was the only nation that did not sign onto the condemnation of Israel's behavior in the Gaza Strip.