Venezuela stands with Gaza

In protest of the massacre of Palestinians in Gaza, Venezuela expelled the Israeli ambassador from its country on Jan. 6.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez holds newspaper reporting his expulsion of Israeli ambassador.

A government-issued statement declares: “In this tragic and outrageous time, the people of Venezuela express their unequivocal solidarity with the Palestinian people. ... The government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela categorically condemns the flagrant violations of the State of Israel to International Law, and denounces the use of State terrorism. ...

“Due to the aforementioned reasons, the government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela has decided to expel the ambassador of Israel and part of the staff of the Embassy of Israel to Venezuela, thus reaffirming its vocation to peace and its demand to respect International Law. ...

“President Hugo Chávez, who has ... always opposed anti-Semitism and all kinds of discrimination and racism, calls on the fraternal Jewish people of the world to oppose these criminal policies of the State of Israel, which resemble the worst pages of the history of the 20th century. With the genocide of the Palestinian people, the State of Israel will never be able to offer its people the perspective of a necessary and lasting peace.” (Agencia Bolivariana de Noticias, Jan. 6)

Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah, Secretary General of the Lebanese popular movement Hezbollah, lauded Chávez for the expulsions, saying “He did this because of his humanity, his sense of revolution.” (Press TV, Jan. 8)

On Jan. 11, Chávez further announced that Venezuela was sending 12.5 metric tons of medicine to Gaza. (Associated Press, Jan. 11)