Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar on Tuesday thanked Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz Pereira for allowing Israelis to travel to the South American country without applying for a visa.
Visa-free travel “will allow thousands of Israelis to return to Bolivia after many years, enjoy its rich culture and impressive landscapes, and help strengthen ties between our peoples,” he said.
Bolivia’s first center-right president in nearly 20 years eliminated visa requirements for nationals of Israel and the United States as part of a wider overhaul of La Paz’s international relations.
Americans and Israelis, as well as citizens of South Korea, South Africa and some eastern European nations that had been required to apply for visas can now enter the country for up to 90 days without prior approval.
Paz Pereira, a center-right former senator, in his presidential campaign stressed repairing relations with Western partners, including the United States.
Congratulating Paz Pereira in October, Sa’ar said Israel looked forward to “opening a new chapter in our bilateral relations and advancing cooperation in a wide range of fields for the benefit of both nations.”
Israel’s top diplomat in a statement posted to social media noted that La Paz “has a long history of friendship with Israel and the Jewish people.”
Under the previous government led by the Socialist Mas party, Bolivia became the first to sever relations with Israel in the wake of Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023 massacre, announcing on Nov. 1, 2023, it was cutting ties.
Chile, Colombia and Honduras soon all followed with the recall of their ambassadors from Israel and the downgrading of official representation.