MONTEVIDEO – It has been reported that Uruguay is considering accepting refugees from the Gaza Strip. On September 9th, Uruguayan Foreign Minister Mario Lubetkin hinted at the possibility of accepting refugees, mentioning that many families in Gaza are desperate to leave. He stated, "We will not make a promise we cannot keep. If we make a promise, we will surely fulfill it," showing a cautious stance. He also explained the various complex procedures required for refugee migration, such as approval from Israel and the Red Cross.
This is not the first time the Uruguayan government has discussed the possibility of accepting Palestinian refugees. Earlier, in June, Minister Lubetkin had announced a plan to help young Palestinians from the West Bank enter the country and provide them with jobs in the agricultural sector. However, there has been no specific confirmation as to whether this plan has been implemented to date.
Uruguay has a history of embracing those suffering from war. In 2014, it accepted 120 refugees from Syria, where hundreds of thousands had died in a civil war. At the time, the refugees stayed at a Catholic retreat center in Montevideo, where they received medical support and Spanish language lessons, and the children were given educational opportunities.
Meanwhile, Alejandro Jorysz, a member of the group "Jews Against the Genocide in Palestine," criticized the government's lukewarm attitude. He pointed out, "Foreign Minister Mario Lubetkin does not acknowledge the genocide, and President Yamandú Orsi maintains diplomatic and commercial relations with Israel." Jorysz claimed that Minister Lubetkin's statement about accepting refugees was "an attempt to obscure his miserable role in not condemning the genocide and taking appropriate action." He further added that this measure "rationalizes the forced displacement of Gaza residents and deepens the Uruguayan government's complicity in Israel's genocide."
The group to which Jorysz belongs has started an online petition with the signatures of over 300 Uruguayan Jews. They plan to submit the petition, which rejects "the genocidal policies of the Benjamin Netanyahu government," to the presidential office on September 25th. Jorysz urged the Uruguayan government to "take measures befitting the gravity of this situation, condemn the genocide, and sever all commercial, diplomatic, and military ties with Israel."
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