On Saturday, September 5, the First Forum of “El Olivo y la Ceiba”: Chiapas with Palestine, took place in San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, with the participation of various collectives: Nodo Solidario, CCOIPC, Acción Palestina Chiapas, and Otros Mundos.
The forum consisted of three roundtable discussions featuring presentations by the Anarcoop and Cybersivxs Technological Cooperatives, with the aim of informing the general public about the ties that Israeli Zionist groups maintain with the Chiapas state government and the presence of groups of former Zionist military personnel in the city.
The event began with a statement in which collectives, organizations, and individuals expressed their condemnation of the recent incidents targeting the Kinoki Cultural Forum—which stands in solidarity with Palestine—when an individual arrived at the venue to insult and intimidate attendees, rip down the Palestinian flag, and spit on one of the venue’s staff members. It is worth noting that this is not an isolated incident, and that other organizations, such as the La Cosecha Bookstore, have already suffered similar attacks by individuals enfuriated by displays of solidarity with the Palestinian cause.
The first panel opened with a discussion on Israeli surveillance technologies operating in Chiapas, with the aim of asking ourselves whether these technologies truly serve the security and protection of the people.
Members of the Anarcoop cooperative and Cybersivxs explained that Israeli agents have been operating in the state of Chiapas in collusion with politicians since 1994, advising the Mexican military and police on counterinsurgency operations to develop propaganda strategies, armed operations, and the use of political and economic tactics—and even covert groups—to undermine the legitimacy of the Zapatista National Liberation Army’s uprising.
They also mentioned Israeli involvement in the training of the Aeromóvil Special Forces Group (GAFE), created in 1994, whose defectors later founded the Zetas cartel—the bloodiest of all cartels—as well as Israeli involvement in the Guatemalan genocide.
Between 2010 and 2012, agreements were formally signed with the Israeli Ministry of Defense to train municipal and state police officers in Chiapas. Recently, Security Secretary Oscar Alberto Aparicio Avendaño publicly announced his meeting with the Israeli consul in Mexico, Hila Burg, and Zvi Michaeli, a former agent of the Israeli Secret Service.
Likewise, the groups Anarcoop and Cybercivxs note that various civil society organizations have reported that the Secretariat of Public Safety and the City Council systematically refuse to grant access to C5 camera footage for the purpose of investigating enforced disappearances. This raises the question of what the true purpose of these cameras is.
Another panel addressed the topic “Christian Zionism in Chiapas.” Members of the Coordinating Committee of Collectives, Organizations and Individuals for Palestine in Chiapas (CCOIPC) explained that there is a Zionist network in Chiapas with ties to evangelical churches that uphold the biblical right of the Jewish people to the land of Palestine and view Israel’s wars as part of a prophetic fulfillment that will hasten the second coming of Christ. Through these Christian religious institutions, Zionism deploys geopolitical strategies, diplomatic relations, and actions to counter liberation theology, which, in the case of Chiapas, was embodied by Bishop Samuel Ruiz—the same theological current espoused by Father Marcelo, who was recently assassinated. This network of Christian Zionism, the collectives assert, is the result of a U.S. political strategy dating back to the Cold War.
Another topic addressed at one of the roundtables was “Green Genocide.” “War is not merely about killing enemy combatants; a much more efficient way to wage war or carry out genocide is to attack the enemy’s material capacity for production,” they explained. “Ecocide is intentionally used as a weapon to try to subdue and subjugate peoples.”
As an example, the group discussed Israel’s stance on the mass destruction of olive trees in Palestine—“a tree that has been a source of food, of identity, and a place where stories are woven that give identity to peoples.” Polluting the land, diverting rivers, destroying forests, destroying crops with glyphosate and herbicides, building walls and border fences that disrupt the survival of wildlife, and interrupting animal migration are not isolated incidents.
These roundtable discussions are important for analyzing, raising awareness, sounding the alarm, and understanding the reasons behind the Palestinian struggle. That is why the collectives Nodo Solidario, CCOIPC, Acción Palestina Chiapas, and Otros Mundos invite the general public to attend the second part of the forum, which will take place on September 12 at 12 p.m. in the Auditorium of the UNACH School of Social Sciences. This forum aims to inform, raise awareness, and foster dialogue to take action in response to the alarming situation regarding Zionism in Chiapas.
Original summary published by Radio Zapatista on September 7th, 2026.
Audio downloads of the event can be found at this link.
Translation by Schools for Chiapas.