El Ciudadano
Original article: Premios Nacionales, científicos y académicos chileno-palestinos llaman a no votar por Kast: «Es un activo defensor de Israel y el genocidio de los palestinos»
Open Letter: «Vote with Palestine in Your Heart»
Under the title «Vote with Palestine in Your Heart«, hundreds of scientists, academics, artists, politicians, and professionals of Palestinian descent issued an open letter today to their community, making a urgent call to halt the rise of José Antonio Kast to the presidency, describing him as a threat to the safety of the Palestinian cause and a diplomatic setback for Chile.
The letter, signed by prominent figures from the Palestinian community in Chile such as National Prize winners Faride Zerán (Journalism) and Diamela Eltit (Literature), filmmaker Miguel Littin, former deputy Fuad Chahín, writers Lina Meruane and Alia Trabucco Zerán, spokesperson for the Coordinator for Palestine Pablo Abufom, 8M Feminist Coordinator lawyer Karina Nohales, writer Ismail Khalidi, and various scholars from the Arab Studies Center at the University of Chile, warns of the «inescapable historical responsibility» facing the largest community of Palestinians outside the Arab world this Sunday.
A Call Against Impunity
The document emphatically condemns the Republican candidate’s stance regarding the situation in Gaza. The signatories accuse Kast of maintaining an «eloquent silence on genocide» and prioritizing ties with a «criminal regime» over human rights.
«Since October 2023, Kast has been very active in defending Israel, criticizing every diplomatic action aligned with international law,» the text states, recalling that the candidate «publicly denied that Israel bombed a Palestinian hospital, despite all evidence to the contrary.»
The statement highlights one of the most impactful paragraphs of the letter, where the moral dilemma of the vote is established:
«For those who carry Palestine in their hearts, the decision is clear: voting for Kast is voting against Palestine and in favor of its exterminators. We still have time to act and keep Chile on the right side of history.»
Broad Support
The declaration warns that a potential presidency under Kast would align Chile with figures like Trump, Bolsonaro, and Milei, reinforcing «impunity for genocide.»
The call has received extensive backing from various professional and academic sectors, including researchers from the Arab Studies Center at the University of Chile, doctors, scientists, writers, lawyers, artists, educators, and human rights defenders.
The group concludes by urging the community not to make the country complicit in the suffering of its people and to exercise a conscious vote this Sunday.
See below:
La entrada Chilean-Palestinian Scholars and Scientists Urge Voters to Reject Kast: «He is an Active Defender of Israel and the Genocide of Palestinians» se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.
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