New York , USA | September 24, 2025
Boric’s UN Speech: Israel’s Actions in Gaza “Comparable to the Holocaust”
In a powerful and controversial address at the UN General Assembly, Chilean President Gabriel Boric stated that Israel’s targeting of Palestinians in Gaza is “comparable to the persecution of Jews during the Holocaust.” The comparison, which came in a wider speech about global peace and justice, has sparked immediate outrage from Israel and Jewish organizations, while being met with praise from pro-Palestinian activists. Boric called for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to be brought before an international court for his government’s actions.
Headline Points
* Chilean President Gabriel Boric delivered a fiery speech at the UN General Assembly, comparing Israel’s actions in Gaza to the Holocaust.
* He called for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to be tried in an international court for what he described as a “genocidal campaign.”
* The remarks have drawn immediate and sharp condemnation from Israel and its allies, who accuse Boric of trivializing the Holocaust and inciting antisemitism.
* Boric has been a consistent and vocal critic of Israel’s military actions and has previously recalled Chile’s ambassador from Tel Aviv.
* Chile is home to the largest Palestinian community outside the Middle East, a fact that has long influenced its foreign policy on the issue.
A Controversial and Deliberate Comparison
During his speech, President Boric, a prominent figure in Latin American politics, condemned the ongoing war in Gaza. He said that the Israeli military operation has created a humanitarian catastrophe of “unprecedented” scale and that the Palestinian people are being “systematically annihilated” by the ongoing campaign. He then drew a direct comparison to the Holocaust, calling it a “tragic reminder” of what can happen when a state’s military power is used to target an entire people. “We have said it before, and we will say it again,” Boric stated. “What is happening in Gaza, the persecution and the confinement of a people, is comparable to what the Jewish people suffered at the hands of the Nazis.”
The comparison has been rejected by many historians and Jewish organizations, who argue that it trivializes the systematic, industrialized extermination of six million Jews. The American Jewish Committee (AJC) released a statement calling the comparison “a moral failure” and a “distortion of history.” The statement continued, “While the suffering in Gaza is tragic, it is a conflict between a sovereign state and a terrorist group, not a campaign of extermination.”
The Diplomatic Fallout
Israel’s Foreign Ministry immediately condemned the remarks, calling them “disgraceful and antisemitic.” A spokesperson for the ministry stated that the comparison “denies Israel’s right to defend itself and trivializes the memory of the millions of Jews murdered by the Nazis.” Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also issued a statement, saying that Boric’s comments were “a new low” and a “disgrace to the international community.”
Boric’s stance is consistent with his previous actions. He had already recalled Chile’s ambassador from Israel and has backed an arms embargo on the country. Chile is home to the largest Palestinian population outside the Middle East, with an estimated 500,000 descendants of Palestinian immigrants. The strong political and social ties between this community and the Palestinian cause have long been a factor in Chile’s foreign policy. The Palestinian Authority praised Boric’s statements, calling them “courageous” and a “stand for justice.”
