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Mijal Gur-Aryeh, Israel's Ambassador to Costa Rica, concurrently accredited to Nicaragua. LA PRENSA.

Israel’s ambassador to Costa Rica: “Nicaragua is becoming a platform for terrorism in the region”

Mijal Gur-Aryeh spoke with LA PRENSA and said that Ortega chose Iran as an ally, which is the largest promoter of terrorism in the world

Following the diplomatic break initiated by Daniel Ortega’s regime with Israel on October 11, Israel’s Ambassador to Costa Rica, and until last Friday to Nicaragua as well, Mijal Gur-Aryeh, stated in an interview with LA PRENSA that this action “does not affect” her country but does impact Nicaragua. However, the diplomatic mission responsible for handling Nicaraguan affairs has not yet received formal communication from the dictatorship regarding the severance of diplomatic ties.

Additionally, she emphasized that, as a result of the decisions made by the Ortega-Murillo regime, Nicaragua is turning into a platform for terrorism in the region.

Gur-Aryeh received the approval of the dictatorship to serve as Israel’s ambassador to Nicaragua, concurrently from Costa Rica. However, she stated that after her arrival in the neighboring country to the south in August 2023, she did not receive formal communication to travel to Nicaragua and present her credentials.

Mijal Gur-Aryeh, Israel’s Ambassador to Costa Rica, concurrently accredited to Nicaragua. LA PRENSA.

How does Israel react to the diplomatic break?

“Israel seeks friendly relations with all countries around the world, including Nicaragua. Israeli innovation can offer solutions to many of the world’s challenges, and we are always happy to share our knowledge and innovation with all nations.

However, with the break in relations, we can no longer provide assistance to the Nicaraguan people, which is unfortunate. For example, in 2022, an Israeli agricultural expert led a course in Nicaragua on advanced water use solutions. That same year, we donated advanced irrigation systems to the National University of Engineering (UNI) for training purposes. Additionally, in recent years, eight Nicaraguan scholars traveled to Israel for courses and training. Unfortunately, such assistance will no longer be available.”

In fact, this is not the first time Nicaragua has broken relations with Israel, and ties have not been favorable for quite some time. For instance, since August 2023, even before the war, we haven’t had an honorary consul in Nicaragua because Ortega’s dictatorship removed him.

We have been unable to conduct consular visits, and for a long time, the regime has acted confrontationally toward Israel. Therefore, this break is not a major surprise, nor does it have a significant impact.

So, Israel doesn’t lose anything?

Exactly. In fact, it’s Nicaragua and the Nicaraguan people who lose out on Israeli aid and innovation.

What about the businesspeople who came to the country in 2017, following the reestablishment of diplomatic relations?

I don’t have much information on that, but I believe they are doing well. I also think many of them hold other nationalities, and since they belong to the private sector, it’s really between the regime and these entrepreneurs.

I do know that many Israeli tourists loved visiting Nicaragua, and there are still many who wanted to visit. We hope that, at least at the civilian level, there will still be some kind of relationship. For example, we hope groups of Nicaraguans can still visit Israel, the Holy Land, and sacred places. We will have to see how things develop.

Mijal Gur-Aryeh, Israel’s Ambassador to Costa Rica, concurrently accredited to Nicaragua. LA PRENSA.

After receiving the regime’s approval for you to serve as ambassador, you ultimately did not get accredited at the foreign ministry. What was the reason for this?

When I arrived here in August 2023, it seemed that Nicaragua’s relations with almost all Western countries and democratic nations were much worse. Our honorary consul had been removed from Nicaragua. We observed the regime’s radical movement against at least half of the diplomatic corps.

So, was it a decision of this embassy not to attend the accreditation?

No, we submitted a request to travel and present my credentials. We were waiting for a response, but none came. After the credentials of the honorary consul were canceled, we also requested a consular visit, but there were no replies. All of this occurred before the war.

How has it been for you managing diplomatic relations with a regime like Daniel Ortega’s?

It is quite difficult, but we seek friendly relations with all countries. We are prepared to engage with non-democratic countries. Israel is a democracy that defends freedom and international law in challenging situations, and we hope that soon the wonderful people of Nicaragua can benefit from these basic principles of a just society.

Is there any official communication from the Nicaraguan foreign ministry regarding the break in relations?

At the moment, there is none. It is customary for countries to notify each other in such situations, but for us, unfortunately, we have more significant challenges.

Nicaragua is strengthening ties with Iran; what does this represent for the region?

The Ortega dictatorship has chosen Iran as an ally, which is the largest promoter of terrorism in the world. Iran’s terrorism extends beyond the Middle East. For example, Iranian weapons are being used in Ukraine against the Ukrainian people. The largest terrorist attacks in Latin America were carried out by Iran in Buenos Aires.

So, this is the regime’s partner— a very, very dangerous partner. In fact, we now have a base of terrorism in Central America, which is concerning not only for Costa Rica but for the entire region.

Are you saying that you view Nicaragua as a platform for terrorism in the region?

That is what we see with these approaches. In the past, for example, in Buenos Aires, Iran used its embassy as a center for terrorism.

What is Israel’s position on human rights violations in Nicaragua?

Israel is a democracy with the rule of law. We are following the events happening in Nicaragua closely. We deeply regret the oppression of the Ortega regime against its people and against NGOs that operate and help the population. That is what we can say. We hope that the situation improves soon.

In a speech marking the 45th anniversary of the Ministry of the Interior, Ortega referred to Netanyahu as the “son of the devil.”

Ortega’s words echo antisemitic accusations. Netanyahu is the elected leader of a democratic country and consistently states that he desires peace with his neighbors. It is not our fault that some of our neighbors, with the support of Iran, want to eliminate us from the Earth. This is the problem; Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah want to eradicate every last Jew on the planet.

With the break in relations with Israel and the previous approach to Iran, what is the regime seeking?

We see around the world dictatorships that cannot maintain good relations with democratic countries. There are many dictatorships that have brutal allies like themselves and support one another.

From Israel’s perspective, what is happening in the Middle East? Because some organizations, including the UN, make strong accusations against Israel for its response to Hamas attacks.

Iran, with its long reach, seeks to eliminate Israel. Hamas clearly states that this is its objective: to eliminate Israel. Thousands of terrorists infiltrated our communities and homes. They murdered and tortured entire families. Many people are being held hostage under inhumane conditions.

Hamas uses the population as human shields. We have schools, hospitals, and UN facilities in Gaza being used for terrorist activities. Hamas claims that the sole purpose of its population’s existence is to protect the terrorists. This is also a very serious war crime.

Israel makes enormous efforts to avoid harming civilians. The legal responsibility for these damages falls on Hamas, which continues to launch rockets from the humanitarian zones in Gaza.

Regarding the UN, I must say that media outlets and agencies sometimes repeat what Hamas claims as truth, which are lies.

Has Israel released its death toll figures?

We do not have very clear figures, particularly regarding civilian casualties. We track the numbers of terrorists that we eliminate, and we know that the vast majority of those who have died in Gaza are terrorists. This is better than the results of NATO operations, for example. The media often prefer to present narratives that are not accurate in order to make them appear more dramatic.

One of the criticisms of Israel is that its response is not proportional. What would you say in response to this?

The media sometimes think that proportionality means comparing the number of deaths on each side. This is not the definition. For example, in the September 11 attacks in New York, approximately 3,000 Americans died. But in the subsequent war in Afghanistan, 200,000 people died. Did they claim that this NATO operation was illegal or disproportionate? No, this only happens when talking about Israel.

The attack has specific military objectives: arms storage. It is proportional, and while there are some civilian casualties, which is very tragic, it is proportional and legal. The legal responsibility for this lies with those who committed the war crime of placing a terrorist center in a school, for example. They are accountable for the damage according to the law. The reality presented in the media is distorted.

We clearly make efforts to minimize civilian damage. For example, we give warnings before attacking an area because it is a terrorist center. NATO does not do this. We make phone calls to civilians asking them to evacuate the area.

Although Hamas puts these people in danger, there will very likely be civilian casualties. Israel has no restrictions on humanitarian aid and sends vast amounts every day. However, the most logical thing for Hamas to do would be to say that this ends today, release the hostages, and leave the people of Gaza in peace. Instead, Hamas chooses to ignore all the suffering.

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