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Nayib Bukele on Gaza

Pro-Israel alignment (strong)

TL;DR

Nayib Bukele strongly condemns Hamas, equates them to Salvadoran gangs, and explicitly supports Israel's right to eliminate the group.

Key Points

  • He stated following the October 7 attacks that the best thing for Palestinians is for Hamas to completely disappear.

  • The president compared Hamas to Salvadoran gangs, framing support for the group as supporting criminals, in a statement from 2023.

  • He previously expressed a desire to see a thriving Palestinian state focused on technology and business, even if it was smaller than historical territories, during a 2019 interview.

Summary

Nayib Bukele, who has Palestinian ancestry, has taken a position strongly aligned with Israel following the October 7 attacks by Hamas. The president stated that the most beneficial outcome for the Palestinian people would be the complete disappearance of Hamas, emphasizing that the militant group does not represent Palestinians. He drew a direct comparison between Hamas and the violent gangs that his government is aggressively combating domestically in El Salvador, arguing that supporting Hamas would be akin to siding with those criminals. This stance positions him as one of the few Latin American leaders to firmly back Israel despite the heavy civilian toll in Gaza.

His position contrasts with the historic ties many Salvadorans of Palestinian descent have maintained with the Palestinian cause, leading to a divide within the Salvadoran diaspora. While he expresses pride in his heritage, his political priorities focus on maintaining favourable relations with Israelis for potential business and technology partnerships, as well as security cooperation. He has generally avoided commenting on the broader conflict or the humanitarian crisis, reserving his strong statements for condemning the Hamas attacks.

Key Quotes

As a Salvadoran with Palestinian ancestry, I'm sure the best thing that could happen to the Palestinian people is for Hamas to completely disappear… Anyone who supports the Palestinian cause would make a great mistake siding with those criminals

As a Salvadoran with Palestinian ancestry, I'm sure the best thing that could happen to the Palestinian people is for Hamas to completely disappear… Anyone who supports the Palestinian cause would make a great mistake siding with those criminals

I'm very proud of my Palestinian origins, I would like to see a thriving Palestinian state. If you have a state, that state will thrive. Technology is more important than land, the Palestinians can have a state - yes, it's smaller than the one in 1948, yes, it's smaller than the one in the Oslo Agreements. Fine, let's demonstrate that we can have a thriving state, peaceful and open for business

Frequently Asked Questions

Nayib Bukele's position is characterized by a strong condemnation of Hamas, equating the group to domestic gangs he combats. He has explicitly stated that Hamas's complete disappearance would be the best outcome for the Palestinian people.

While he is of Palestinian ancestry, his public statements following the conflict's escalation have focused on condemning Hamas rather than expressing solidarity with the victims of the Israeli offensive in Gaza. He has been reluctant to comment on the death toll.

Nayib Bukele wrote on social media that anyone supporting the Palestinian cause would make a mistake by siding with Hamas, calling them criminals. He views the militant group as distinct from and detrimental to the true Palestinian people.