Mercosur

Different social movements are requesting Mercosur foreign relations ministers to suspend the free trade agreement with Israel. The foreign relations ministers of the Souther Common Market (Mercosur) received a letter this Monday from various Latin American social organizations demanding that the bloc suspend its free trade agreement with Israel due to its violent and deadly attacks on Gaza. "We must underscore that our request […] is based on the flagrant violation of Human Rights which the State of Israel is committing in the Gaza Strip, in the State of Palestine, which can be considered war crimes and/or crimes against human humanity," the NGOs wrote. The letter was addressed to the foreign relations ministers of Argentina, Hector Timerman, David Choquehuanca, of Bolivia, Luiz Alberto Figueiredo, of Brazil), Eladio Lozaiga, of Paraguay, Luis Almagro, of Uruguay, Elias Jaua, Venezuela. Over 15 social movements from Argentina, Colombia and Venezuela signed the letter, urging the South American bloc to implement measures against Israel, which has indiscriminately bombed Gaza, destroying over 3,000 homes, displacing close to 200,000 Palestinians, and killing over 1,090 Gazans, mostly civilians and children.