Chile establishes annual day of Chilean-Palestinian friendship, solidarity

• Law No. 21,843 designates Jan. 7 each year as the Day of Chilean-Palestinian Friendship and Solidarity.
• The legislation allows commemorative activities celebrating ties between Chile and Palestine.
• The law reaffirms Chile’s commitment to the United Nations’ universal human rights protection system and the rights of the Palestinian people.

Chile has officially established Jan. 7 as the annual Day of Chilean-Palestinian Friendship and Solidarity, enshrining the commemoration in law and reaffirming the country’s commitment to human rights and the Palestinian people.

Law No. 21,843 was passed on Oct. 15, 2026, and published in Chile’s official legal database on Oct. 22, according to the National Library of Congress of Chile. The legislation designates Jan. 7 each year as the Día de la Amistad y Solidaridad Chileno-Palestina. 

The law consists of two articles. The first formally establishes the annual observance, while the second provides for commemorative activities celebrating friendship and solidarity between Chile and Palestine. It also reiterates Chile’s commitment to the United Nations’ universal system for protecting human rights and, consequently, to the human rights of the Palestinian people.

Jan. 7 was chosen to commemorate the date in 2011 when Chile officially recognized Palestine as a free, independent and sovereign state, according to the Chilean Senate’s account of the legislation. The initiative was introduced by former lawmaker Cosme Mellado Pino alongside several current and former members of parliament. 

The legislation also recognizes the longstanding historical, social and cultural ties between Chile and the Palestinian people, including the presence of a large Palestinian-descended community in Chile. The Senate highlighted these connections during its consideration of the bill, describing the relationship as extending beyond formal diplomatic ties.

The new annual observance provides a framework for commemorative events celebrating those connections and reaffirming solidarity with Palestinians. Its first observance following the law’s enactment will fall on Jan. 7, 2027.

Read more: Deportivo Palestino welcomes Kneecap in show of solidarity with Palestine