During the past 15 years, both Israel and the United States have allowed Iran and radical Islam to infiltrate Latin America, particularly South America, while doing almost nothing to arrest it.  A rising disaster, which may soon be upon us, is all the more ironic, because a Latin Evangelical Revival was starting to take hold and could have been harnessed to the West's benefit.

Those who follow Latin America know that Latin America is home to an extraordinarily successful Arab community of roughly 20-25 million Arab-Latins.  These tend to be elites in Latin America, producing massive wealth, and many political leaders, including eight presidents, not counting the interim president of Brazil, Michel Temer, a Lebanese Maronite Catholic.

Given that most Latin-Arabs were the descendants of Christian Arabs, who had fled Muslim tyrannies, and given their incredible power, prestige, and wealth, they should have been harnessed as a community to the West's benefit.  Instead, the West ignored this Arab Christian resource, ignored an exploding Latin Christian revival, and allowed Latin America to become a thriving partner of al-Islam's efforts to destroy Israel.

Some recent developments:

HispanTV – Iran's Spanish-language propaganda network has been fed to Latin America since December 2011.  HispanTV was thrown off of European and American satellites but is doing quite well in Latin America, along with the Venezuela's TeleSur network, and spreads truly vicious anti-Israel propaganda throughout the continent.

So what does Israel do?  Israel runs the I24 News network in English, French, and Arabic, but not Spanish.  Apparently 600 million Latin Americans are of minor importance to Israel.  Yet one of their diplomats is Dani Dayan, a trilingual native of Buenos Aires.  He should have his own channel on I24.  Can't someone give him an open mic?

In the meantime, Venezuela has become Iran's conduit to the West.

[Hezb'allah operative] Al Din ... was responsible for acquiring proper [Venezuelan] paperwork for at least 300 Hezbollah operatives to travel to Latin America, which made potential entry into Canada and the United States much easier.

Under George Bush, there was some effort to stop Hezb'allah's infiltration of Latin America, and for a while, it succeeded.

The tri-border area [Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina], with its 30,000-strong Arab community and reputation for smuggling and money-laundering, has been monitored closely by intelligence agencies during the last decade, especially following the September 11 terrorist attacks. The stepped-up law enforcement has contributed to the exodus of terrorism suspects to Chile.

Hezb'allah operatives had to shift headquarters from Paraguay to Chile – to Iquique, famous for its free port and a 15% Arab community, heavily Palestinian.

Under Obama, Hezb'allah has roared back to the Triple Point area (Paraguay, Brazil, Argentina), and now the Rio Olympics are being threatened.

The ominous increase of Palestinian media power in Latin America, particularly hailing from Chile, where, ironically, the Palestinians are 98% Christian (distant descendants of refugees from Muslim persecution), seems to march forward, almost uncontested.

Though Chile is in the midst of an Evangelical revival (often pro-Zionist), the Palestinians are a wealthy elite who can paralyze Chile's foreign policy.

It is not that we do not have these types in the USA, but in Latin America they are given a platform and treated with respect rather than contempt.

When the radical leader of Chile's Palestine Federation, Mauricio Abu Ghosh, was refused a visit to Palestine, it was national news in Chile, and the Chilean government was upset.  Here in the USA, he would have been ignored.

It is not uncommon for Chilean legislators to make a junket to Palestine, as these two reports show.

Pay attention to the last minute of that the video in that second link to see how radicalized some Chileans are.  Along with the group of Chilean notables on that junket was Camila Vallejo, the world-famous leftist student revolutionary of Chile's student protests.  She became 2011 person of the year on many magazine covers all over the world.  Ms Vallejo was a green-eyed photogenic beauty.  The revolution can be sexy. She is now a communist deputy in Chile's congress.  And, it seems, a strong supporter of Palestinian rights.

Deputy Vallejo devoted one of her online radio programs to talking with Xavier Abu Eid.  Mr Abu Eid is a Chilean spokesperson for the PLO to the Latin world, and what a piece of work he is.  He is almost unknown here in America – though he is fluent in English, Spanish, and Arabic, as well as some Italian. He shows up regularly on Latin American media.

So right now in Chile we have a young, sexy communist legislator, Camila Vallejo, who had a child out of wedlock – enough to merit honor killing in Gaza – having a radio show conversation with a rather unctuous PLO spokesman.

Bringing up the rear for comic relief, there is the famous Argentine soccer player, Diego Maradona, who now also boosts for Palestine and sword dances in the United Arab Emirates – a person who has become so farcical that even Argentines laugh at him.

Has Latin America gone mad?  This is what passes for activism?

Little is been done to counter all this, and in the years I have been watching it, it has gotten much worse.  Mind you, Latin America is far too Christian to be converted to Islam – there are far too many Evangelicals on street corners – but propaganda has been successfully flipped Latin America to being virulently hostile to Israel.  Every South American nation but Colombia has recognized Palestine.

What is clear is that the left congenitally hates Israel.  This is hidden in America, where many of the left are "progressive" Jews, but step outside the USA, and it becomes obvious – especially if one speaks another language – that the left is radically anti-Zionist.  Just as the Nazis made inroads into South America in the 1930s, taking advantage of a large pre-war German demographic, even so, the Arabs are now using the Arab demographic, especially the Palestinians of Chile and Honduras, who do not seem to need much encouragement.  They are self-starting.

Only two things are holding back the flood.  Latin America's Lebanese Maronite Christians, given their history of persecution at the hands of Muslims, tend to be moderate.  And Latin Evangelicals are doing a yeoman's job of fighting back – not that the US government pays attention.  Give any credit to the Gospel, not the Obama administration.

The West has all but lost Latin America to the Palestinian cause.  In the years I have been monitoring this, it has only gotten worse.

What has to be understand is that the USA and Canada are living in a bubble.  The rest of the West virulently has turned on Israel.  If elected, Donald Trump has to give priority to this.

A small sampling of some video and links from just last year.  Basic C-grade high school Spanish is enough to give one the flavor of what is going on.

- Uruguayans support Palestine – HispanTV  (Particularly amazing is seeing secular Uruguayan women sporting degrading Islamic wear as fashion.)

- TeleSur attacking Israel (Venezuela).

- BDS leadership conference in Chile.

- I am Palestinian (Yo soy Palestino) in Chile (Palestine Federation.  Biladi plays in the background.)

- Launching Going to Palestine (Volverse a Palestina) in Chile.  (Can be translated Becoming Palestinian.)

- Venezuela stands with Palestine on Al-Quds Day.  (Al-Quds?  Venezuela is Christian.  Why didn't they say Jerusalem?)

- Bolivarian TV – actually from Venezuela.  This has to be seen.

- ISLAMIC VIDEO from Bolivia.  Compares Jews to Nazis.

- ANNURTV – Has to be seen.  From Argentina.  Search around.  They have documents recommending an Islamic State.

Operation Return – from Palestine Federation of Chile.

Palestinalibre.org – Chile.

Palestine by numbers – Chile, from the Belen2000 (Bethlehem2000) Charity.  Ostensibly Christian, it had been suspected of funneling money to Hamas Charities, though given the way Arabs pool charities, that may be an exaggerated accusation. 

- Palestinians no longer need visas to visit Venezuela.  (Oddly, I am sure Israel approves, and encourages any Palestinian who wants to move to Venezuela to make the journey.)

Mike Konrad is the pen name of an American who is neither Latin, nor Arab. He runs a website, http://latinarabia.com, where he discusses the subculture of Arabs in Latin America. He wishes his Spanish were better.