“Chile has unfortunately been part of propagating anti -Semitism, and sometimes expressions, government statements (have gone along that line),” said Wednesday, on Radio Cooperativa, the helmsman of the party for Democracy (PPD), Jaime Quintana.
During the same interview, the senator said that “at times I have also had differences in politics towards the Middle East from this government. It is not a mystery to anyone, I have talked with the government itself. I think that mistakes have been made, of course there are horrors in the war, naturally, but the Pope does not know how a war originates, and, therefore, it must be recognized that there are terrorist facts.”
His statement generated discomfort in the Palestinian community of Chile, which expressed “his most energetic repudiation of the recent statements by Senator Jaime Quintana.”
They also accused him of denying a genocide and described his statements as “shameful, offensive, deeply ignorant and devoid of all humanity. They constitute a form of racism that dehumanizes the Palestinian people.”
From this statement, the presidential flag bearer of the Frente Amplio, the deputy was echoed Gonzalo Winterwho pointed out that “when Senator Quintana says that Chile has been part of propagating anti -Semitism for condemning war crimes, it is not only wrong: the debate intentionally confuses. Criticizing the Israel government for violating human rights is not anti -Semitism. It is to defend basic principles of international law and human dignity.”
For Winter, having denied the existence of a genocide and holding the parents of the murdered children “is not just ignorance. It is a way of misinforming and relativizing a horror that the entire world is seeing in real time.”
But the front -folding flag was not the only one who reacted. The candidate of the Socialist Regionalist Federation, Jaime Mulethe told this medium that “the statements of Senator Quintana are quite strong; not recognize the brutality that occurs in the Gaza Strip and hold only parents of such a dramatic issue, so clear, so clear, so widespread, it is serious.”
Mulet also pointed out in the uncheck of Quintana with the government’s position. “He presides over a political party that is obviously in the ruling party, I think it is quite serious. In general what one has seen in the government is a position, by President Boric, rather of solidarity with the Gaza Strip and the victims that are there,” he added.
Damage control
Considering that what Quintana said unmarked from the Executive’s vision and put his presidential flag bearer in an awkward situation, Carolina Toháin the PPD they had to go out to explain what their own helmsman pointed out.
Thus, in a statement signed by the Secretary General of the community, José Toroindicated that the PPD “fully shares the international government policy (…) and, in particular, condemns the genocide in Gaza.”
In that line, they add that there is a “historical position” of the party that ratifies the above, along with a concern about what happens in the Middle East.
In addition, they took distance from Quintana and stressed that these statements were “made personal.”
Anyway, the issue complicated Tohá. Through an open letter, the Palestine Information Center made his discomfort to the former minister of the interior.
“Mrs. Tohá, remaining silent in front of these aberrations has consequences. The president of the PPD did not speak personal, he did so from an institutional position and his words directly affect the integrity of his candidacy. Who aspires to direct a diverse and democratic country cannot allow racism or hate incitement to be normalized from his own coalition,” they say in the writing.
And they add: “We demand a clear and categorical public pronouncement in the face of the statements (…) Do you condemn, as presidential candidate of the PPD, the dehumanization of the Palestinian people and their genocide? Do you consider it acceptable to accuse Palestinian mothers and fathers to use their children as human shields, without a single test? Is it willing to demand the president of his party a rectification and apologies?
This morning the former minister of the interior had to go to respond about this. And he stressed that “I recognize and condemn the action that has been for the state of Israel and the genocide in Gaza.”
Although he argued that he did not have to get rid of Quintana, because his position has been the same, he stressed that “in my proclamation speech I said that within the abuses that exist in the world we have to be firm and clear against genocide in Gaza, and I have no doubts about it.”
And he finished: “In addition, the Party for Democracy made a statement ratifying that its position in this area as a political community is to support the international policy that the Government of Chile has had and clarified that these opinions are purely personal opinions of the president of the party.”
Senator’s explanations
Quintana also tried to contain criticism. He transmitted to his environment that when he talks about these conflicts, he does it in a personal capacity. He has even stressed that he has a professional opinion, because he is a professor of ancient general literature. And also reinforced that he has Christian formation.
Asked by this means, he replied that in the interview “they asked me for opinions about the text that Pope Francis was written regarding the Middle East and said that on this matter I felt closer to Pope Francis’s thinking than of the vision that President Buric has.”
In addition, he stressed that this is due “especially since the Pope was very categorical in expressing his concern about the spread of anti -Semitism in the world; I said that this is not a problem for Netanyahu, but hate languages and anti -Semitism are a problem for our society and future generations.”
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