Florida Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R) honored the legacy and tenure of Luis Almagro this week. Almagro is currently serving as the Secretary General of the Organization of American States. Rep. Salazar highlighted his work combatting the rise of antisemitism in Latin America, which has increased after the Hamas-led terrorist attack in Israel on October 7th.
“It is frustrating that the heads of state who have persecuted Israel the most are the favorite partners of the Biden Administration, while those countries who have condemned Hamas forcefully like Paraguay, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic have received little thanks,” said Rep. Salazar, who is the chairwoman of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee.
“I am very proud that Luis Almagro is on the right side of history, standing with our ally Israel and our partners in the rest of the hemisphere who are doing the right thing.”
After the October 7th attack, Latin American countries pushed denounced Israel, and the responses drew criticism from Republicans.
According to a press release from her office, "antisemitic incidents in Brazil exploded by more than 1000%."
Other examples of antisemitic actions include Colombian President Gustavo Petro comparing the State of Israel to the Nazis, and Chilean President Gabriel Boric rejecting a gift from the Jewish community of Chile, saying that they should focus on “returning illegally occupied Palestinian land.”
Earlier this week, Rep. Salazar joined House Speaker Mike Johnson (R) and Republican leadership in reaffirming their commitment to Israel as well as condemning calls for a ceasefire.
In a press conference, Rep. Salazar commented that "we must send the unequivocal message to the International Community that we stand with the only democracy in the Middle East, Israel - through our words, our resolutions, and our actions as a nation."
The Florida Republican recently introduced H. Res. 117, which reaffirms the United States' support for Israel and condemns the October 7th attack. As well, the resolution opposes any efforts on placing one-sided pressure on Israel to conduct an immediate ceasefire without a demand for the release of hostages.
