Chile Officially Recognizes Palestine as Independent State

Chile has decided to officially recognize Palestine as an independent state, following in the footpath of several other Latin American countries.

On Friday, Foreign Minister Alfredo Moreno announced that Chilean President Sebastian Pinera's government has officially recognized Palestine as a state based on the 1967 borders.

Reading a Foreign Ministry declaration, Moreno said "The government of Chile has adopted the resolution today (Friday) recognizing the existence of the state of Palestine as a free, independent and sovereign state."

He added that President Pinera plans to visit the Palestinian Occupied territories (OPT) on March 4 and 5.

Over 130 countries have officially recognized Palestine as a state based on the 1967 borders, the boundaries that existed before "Israel" occupied East Al Quds (Jerusalem), the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip.

By the end of 2010, Brazil, Argentina, and Bolivia recognized Palestine as an independent state, while Uruguay declared it would recognize Palestine in March 2011.