By Gwynne Dyer - If you are wondering why Hamas launched its all-out assault on Israel on Saturday, I wrote it right here last week. “The Arab world has basically abandoned the Palestinians to their fate, whatever that may be. Six Arab countries have established diplomatic ties with Israel and several more, including Saudi Arabia, are on the brink of doing so.”
Uruguayan authorities reported Sunday that the South American country's peacekeeping troops in the Middle East were not affected by the Hamas attacks against Israel over the weekend. The Uruguayan Army troops deployed in Syria (UNDOF mission) and Egypt (MFO mission) are not involved and are in perfect condition, the Defense Ministry said in Montevideo.
Former Bolivian President Evo Morales Ayma celebrated Hamas' attacks on Israel and criticized a statement from his country's Foreign Ministry condemning the bloodshed in the Middle East.
The Uruguayan government strongly condemns the multiple Hamas attack against Israel which has left over a thousand people killed on Israeli soil, according to a release from Uruguay's foreign ministry.
The Government of the United States has advised against travel to Israel after evacuating some 120 Pentagon staff members from the war-torn region, it was announced Thursday.
Israel's Ambassador to Buenos Aires Galit Ronen voiced her disagreement regarding an Argentine Foreign Ministry statement criticizing Tel Aviv's “excessive use of force” in retaliating against rockets fired from the Gaza strip but never mentioning the involvement of the Hamas group.
The football match between the national teams of Argentina and Uruguay scheduled for next Monday in Tel Aviv is still on as planned, Argentine Football Association (AFA) sources consulted by the press Tuesday.