Israel Is A ‘Terrorist State’: Bolivian President

The president of Bolivia, Evo Morales, on Wednesday called Israel a “terrorist state” and reversed a visa exemption agreement with the country, because of its offensive in Gaza.

“Sadly, the government of Israel does not respect international conventions, human rights,” Morales said at a cabinet meeting Wednesday. Morales said Israel would be categorized a “list 3” country, which designates it a terrorist state in Bolivia. Morales then declared that Bolivia would terminate a 40-year agreement on Israeli travel to the country.

“We have taken a firm decision to denounce the visa agreement with Israel from August 17, 1972, that was signed under a dictatorship regime in Bolivia and allowed Israeli citizens to entre Bolivia freely, without even an entry visa,” Morales said.

The Bolivian government under Morales formally broke off diplomatic relations with Israel in 2009 over Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip, which Morales termed a “genocide.”