The Foreign Ministry of Chile apologized Friday morning after President Gabriel Boric refused to accept the credentials of incoming Israeli Ambassador Gil Artzyeli and reportedly accused the Jewish state of "killing children in Gaza."
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Boric also lamented the death of 17-year-old Palestinian Oday Salah, who was killed on Thursday in an exchange of fire with IDF soldiers who were in the area to map the homes of two Palestinian gunmen who carried out a deadly attack along the West Bank security barrier a day earlier.
It was later decided to push the ceremony of presenting the credentials to October.
Boric, who became president last year, has a history of anti-Israel rhetoric and is a known supporter of BDS.
Several years ago, the local Jewish community presented him with a traditional Rosh Hashana gift of honey, and Boric responded by tweeting: "The Jewish community gave me honey to emphasize its commitment to a more accepting, supportive and respectful society. I thank you for the step, but you can start by demanding that Israel return the Palestinian territory it occupies illegally."
Chile is home to some half a million Palestinian immigrants, most of whom are Christian. The country's Jewish population, in comparison, numbers only tens of thousands.
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