Marco Rubio Wants Latin American Nations to Return Ambassadors to Israel

From his perch on the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., teamed up with three of his colleagues -- U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., and U.S. Sen. James E. Risch, R-Idaho -- in sending a letter to five Latin American leaders, asking them to restore full diplomatic ties with Israel by returning their ambassadors to that nation. The senators wrote the presidents of Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, El Salvador and Peru, all of whom recalled their ambassadors from Israel in protest of that nations recent actions in Gaza.

All loss of innocent lives during this conflict is tragic, but your governments decision to downgrade diplomatic relations with Israel at this critical time will only embolden Hamas leaders to continue on the current course of indiscriminate rocket attacks against Israeli civilians rather than working with the Israeli government to achieve a sustainable cease-fire arrangement, the senators wrote on Monday. Your actions send a troubling message to the United States about your governments commitment to long-lasting peace between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization.

We encourage you to return your ambassador to Israel, as a symbol of your countrys steadfast commitment to achieving an enduring peace in the Middle East and the fight against the scourge of international terrorism, the senators wrote.