US & Isreal: Trails of death and war in latin america

Latin America has long been a region marked by political turmoil and armed conflicts. 

From the 1960s until the early 1990s, the United States and Israel played an integral role in multiple conflicts across Latin America, perpetuating violence and instability through the sales of weapons and the training of specialized forces, resulting in some of the deadliest massacres ever registered in the region.

The United States' role in wars within Latin America is deeply entrenched. During the times of the Cold War, Washington's fear of communist expansionism led to a policy of containment, resulting in interventions and support for anti-communist, right wing, dictatorships, often with little regard for democratic principles.

Nicaragua serves as a prime example.

In the 1980s, the United States intervened to overthrow Nicaragua's Sandinista government through the support of the Contras, an anti-government rebel group. The Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN), came to power in 1979 after overthrowing the dictator Anastasio Somoza and ending a family dictatorship that had ruled over Nicaragua for 43 years. The FSLN is named after Augusto César Sandino, who led the Nicaraguan resistance against the United States occupation of Nicaragua in the 1930s, during which the first documented collaborations between dictatorships in Latin America and zionists armies in Palestine began taking shape.

Following the overthrow of the Somoza family, the Reagan administration began proving financial aid and weapons to the Contras, some of which were sold or directly supplied by Israel. The objective was to weaken the leftist regime and remove what was perceived as a Soviet foothold in the region.

In 1983, CIA Director William Casey asked the Pentagon to help obtain infantry weapons Israel had captured from the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in Lebanon in1982. Following discussions between Maj. Gen. Meron of Israel and retired Maj. Gen. Richard Secord of the United States government, Israel secretly provided several hundred tons of weapons to the Department of Defense on a grant basis in May 1983. This operation, dubbed Tipped Kettle, supplied about $10 million worth of arms and ammunition.

In Guatemala, the United States backed Guatemalan military government of General Jose Efrain Rios Montt, who came to power via a military coup in 1982  backed by former US President Ronald Reagan, saw one of the bloodiest wars in Latin America. The government forces, responsible for immense human rights violations, were supported and armed by the US.

Israel, too, played a role by providing training and intelligence assistance to Guatemalan military personnel , which resulted in the death of over 200,000 people. During this time, Israel is known to have provided at least 300 advisors in the country who trained and worked side by side with Montts government. In 2012, Montt was finally convicted for genocide and crimes against humanity 

The Israeli military’s scorched earth campaign against the Palestinians inspired the Guatemalan right-wing military to replicate the tactic against the country’s rebellious predominantly indigenous Maya population.

Colombia, facing decades of internal strife with drug cartels and left-wing guerrilla groups, turned to Israel for assistance. Israel has supplied Colombia with plane, assault rifles, surveillance technology, and training for its security forces since the 1990s. The specific objective was to combat the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and other insurgent groups.

This cooperation between Israel and Colombia has been recently threatened as Colombian President Gustavo Petro refused to condemn Hamas’ attack on Israel and compared Israel’s actions in Gaza to those of Nazi Germany. The refusal led to the suspension of Israeli military exports to Colombia.

Peru suffered a similar fate, witnessing US-Israel involvement during the 1980s and into the following decades. Facing internal conflicts with various rebel groups, the Peruvian government sought Israel's assistance in modernizing its military and combating insurgents. Israel supplied Peru with weapons, drones, helicopters and advanced warfare technology, and even conducted joint military exercises.

Fighting between the the Maoist guerilla group, the Shining Path, and the Peruvian government intensified in the mid 80s in which the Peruvian government had one of the worst human rights records for experiencing the most forced disappearances in the world during the period. The Peruvian Armed Forces went on record for massacring entire villages. 

Under the administration of Alberto Fujimori, the country began its use of intelligence agencies, which led to countless massacres including La Cantuta massacre of a university professor and nine students, who were kidnapped, tortured, and killed by military death squads. The massacre was one of the crimes cited in the conviction of Fujimori on 7 April 2009, for human rights abuses.

It is estimated that there were between 50,000 and 70,000 deaths in Peru during this time of conflict.

The involvement of the United States and Israel in wars throughout Latin America has had far-reaching consequences for the region. While their motivations may have varied, from anti-communism to counter-narcotics efforts, the impact of their actions cannot be underestimated. Arms sales, training, and intelligence support prolonged conflicts, contributed to human rights violations, aggravated immigration, and hindered the region's political stability. 

The United States and Israel's deep-rooted involvement in wars across Latin America remains a painful chapter in the region's history. The lasting consequences of these conflicts continue to reverberate across societies, impacting democratic processes, peace-building efforts, and human rights. A thorough examination of this shadowy partnership is vital to understanding the complexities of the past and charting a more peaceful future for Latin America and the world. 

It is also important to mention that In 2022, Israeli arms sales to Latin America were worth $381 million , up from $342 million the year before but down from $473 in 2018, and these numbers could continue to go down if governments in Latin America continue to divert from the military strongholds of the United States and Israel. The impact of boycotting military exports of the US and Israel can ultimately lessen the torturous and genocidal grip that Israel has had on Palestinian people for generation. It is up to us, the citizens of this world, to continue to inform each other and continue to stand up in the face of oppression.