Latin America is experiencing a political transformation. A region long dominated by socialist governments, often hostile toward the West and especially Israel, is now seeing a wave of right-leaning leaders. These Western-aligned leaders could provide new opportunities for the Jewish state.
For nearly two decades, Latin America was dominated by left-leaning governments that promised social and economic changes as remedies to inequality and poverty. It was not the traditional Western Left, which seeks to reform capitalism through regulation or welfare; the aim was to replace capitalism altogether, embracing a more revolutionary, anti-imperialist worldview.
Plagued by corruption, these governments were hostile toward Israel and opted to align with Iran and other anti-Western actors.
That is now changing.
Over the past two years, election after election has brought right-wing governments to power, flipping the political map as new leaders respond to the failures of the Left, bringing economic reforms, fighting high crime, and adopting a more pro-Western foreign policy, thereby offering Israel a chance to deepen ties with many countries in the region.
Israeli officials are even predicting 2026 to be “the year of Latin America.”
Examples of change
One of the clearest signals of the current political shift was visible in December at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo, which honored Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado. Standing beside her were Argentinian President Javier Milei, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, Paraguay’s leader Santiago Pena, and Panama’s President Jose Raul Mulino – all champions of the new Latin American Right.
Their presence was not just symbolic. It reflects a broader regional reorientation away from the socialist, anti-imperialist, and anti-Western regimes that brought economic hardship, mass migration, and abuse of power.
Venezuela, through Hugo Chavez and then Nicolas Maduro, illustrates the decades of failed Latin American socialism. Once among the wealthiest countries in the hemisphere, it has collapsed under a corrupt dictatorship clinging to power and refusing to accept an election loss in 2024.
The case of Venezuela is also a prime example of Israel’s complicated position in the region. Both Chavez and Maduro adopted a blatantly anti-Israel narrative, reviving some of history’s worst blood libels.
Long before the current allegations of “genocide” or calling Israel an “illegitimate” state were popular, Chavez was already labeling Israel a “cursed terrorist state,” while strengthening ties with the Iranian regime.
Their resentment of Israel was disguised as anti-imperialism stemming from Latin America’s traumatic history of European colonialism. They claimed that today’s fight is against imperialistic tendencies in the Middle East, portraying Israel as an oppressive tentacle of the United States and an illegitimate state occupying “indigenous Palestinian” land.
A perfect correlation
There is a nearly perfect correlation between right-wing governments emerging in Latin America and their immediate efforts to strengthen ties with Israel.
Argentina and Paraguay stand out as the strongest supporters of Israel and illustrate what is possible for Israel to achieve in Latin America.
Since his election in 2023, Milei has transformed a country aligned with Iran and plagued with hostility toward Israel into Israel’s closest ally. While Argentina’s previous leaders continued to cover up two Iran-ordered Hezbollah terrorist attacks on Israeli and Jewish institutions in the capital, Buenos Aires, Milei unequivocally condemned Hamas and the Islamic Republic. Milei has also announced he will move the Argentinian embassy to Jerusalem, and has turned Israel and the United States into pillars of Argentina’s foreign policy.
Similarly, Paraguay, under President Pena, has built a clear foreign policy from “DC, to Jerusalem, to Taipei,” indicating the importance of Israel as a Western democracy and as a leader on the frontlines protecting liberal democracy from authoritarian rule. Pena restored the country’s embassy to Jerusalem and has consistently backed Israel at the United Nations.
Argentina and Paraguay are the new norm. In December, Ecuador, led by Noboa, opened an Innovation Office in Jerusalem with formal diplomatic status; Costa Rica signed a Free Trade Agreement with Israel and is set to open a governmental office in Jerusalem; and Bolivia has restored diplomatic relations with Israel after 14 years of limited contact.
The three remaining anti-Israel and anti-Western governments in Latin America – Colombia, Chile, and Brazil – may soon face change. In Chile, recent elections were won by right-wing candidate Jose Antonio Kast. Colombia will hold its election this year, and President Gustavo Petro, who previously called for a global army to stop Israel, is not able to run for reelection. And in Brazil, President Lula da Silva, who claimed that over 12 million children were killed in Gaza, could face defeat.
Taking action
Israel must not wait for these countries to reach out but must actively engage with them to ensure mutual benefits, improved relations, and security and economic cooperation.
Iran and Hezbollah have established terror networks across the South American continent, utilizing drug trafficking and other illegal activities for money laundering to finance their terror activity. Improved relations would allow Israel to work with these countries to dismantle these networks.
Economically, improved relations would give Israel access to a massive and diverse market with high potential for development; and Israeli technology – from agritech to cybersecurity – could benefit millions of Latin Americans.
With deep, shared Judeo-Christian roots, Israel must seize this momentum to bring its voice to the continent and to the people, helping Latin Americans understand the many benefits of maintaining close ties with the Jewish state.■
Sasha Machta is a graduate of Reichman University, an Argov Fellowship in Diplomacy and Leadership alumnus, media contributor, and head of the SKIES Influencer Committee.