Chile to open embassy in Palestine

President Gabriel Boric said that his government will raise the level of official representation in Palestine.

Gabriel Boric has supported a boycott of Israeli settlements and been an outspoken critic of the state. (AP)

President Gabriel Boric of Chile, whose country has the largest Palestinian population outside of the Middle East, has said that he plans to open an embassy in Palestine.

"One of the decisions we have taken as a government, I think we have not yet made it public... is that we will raise the level of our official representation in Palestine," Boric said on Wednesday night.

"We will open an embassy under our government."

The announcement by the leftist president, who began his four-year term in March 2022, came at a Christmas ceremony for Chile's Palestinian community, estimated to be more than 300,000 strong.

In 1998, Chile opened a representative office to the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah, and in 2011 recognised Palestine as a state and supported its entrance to UNESCO.

Palestinian immigration to Chile began in the late 19th century, with waves coming during World War I and after the creation of Israel in 1948. 95 percent of the community in the country is Christian.

The large community is prominent in Chile's textile industry and also involved in the country's politics.