Nineteen of 20 Latin American countries which have already recognized Israel are prepared to support its application for U.N. membership, Moises Toff, head of the Latin American Division of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, declared here today in an interview with the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
Toff attributed the friendliness of the Latin American nations to a number of factors including the fact that South American private investors are interested in the Israeli Government’s invitation to private capital to help develop the Jewish state’s economy. He also cited Israel’s friendly attitude toward Catholic life within its own “borders as an important reason for the Latin American attitude. The South American people, he stated, admire Israel’s fight for independence.
A program of exchange of agricultural and medical information and specialists between the two areas is another reason for friendly relations between Latin America and Israel, Toff maintained. He also pointed to the fact that several universities in various Latin American countries have already begun to offer cources in Hebrew. Finally, he announced the appointment of four honorary Israeli consuls in Latin American countries. They are: Eric Heineman, Guatemala; Ernst Leibes, El Salvador; Dr. Llazo Wise, Nicaragua; and Max Weismanblueth, Honduras.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
