The president of Chile’s Palestine Federation, Mauricio Abu Ghosh, told the radio station Cooperativa that “the Nazis were small fry compared to today’s Zionists, who make up the State of Israel.” He also said, “There were never warm relations between Chilean Jews and Palestinians living in Chile.”

The Israel embassy stated its “concern” about the remarks earlier this week on its official Facebook page.

“It is alarming that Palestine Federation uses language similar to that of the Iranian regime. Such statements pose an obstacle to peace in the region,” the comments said.

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In April, Israel refused to allow Abu Ghosh to enter its borders, triggering a minor diplomatic incident between the foreign ministries in Jerusalem and Santiago. He belonged to a delegation of 39 Palestinian Chileans who wanted to travel to Israel. He was the only one denied entrance, according to the Chilean daily La Nacion, which is partly owned by the Chilean government.

Israel’s foreign ministry said at the time that Abu Ghosh “is active in the public sphere and is systematically trying to incite hate toward Israel with racist statements about the Jewish people. He also justifies Palestinian terrorism against Israeli civilians.”

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