Venezuela expels Israeli Ambassador Shlomo Cohen

[3rdEye]

Venezuela expels Israeli Ambassador Shlomo Cohen and other Jews

Today the Venezuelan government ordered the expulsions of Israeli Ambassador Shlomo Cohen, his wife Edna Cohen and an unspecified number of Israeli Embassy personnel in Caracas. The expulsions are to protest the ongoing brutal killings by Israel of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip which President Hugo Chavez called "a Holocaust."

President Chavez has publicly condemned the Israelis carrying out the current military onslaught in Gaza as "murderers" and strongly urged Jews in Venezuela to take a stand against the Zionist government of Israel that he compares to a "Nazi regime."

President Chavez said on national television, "Now I hope that the Venezuelan Jewish community speaks out against this barbarism. Do it. Don't you strongly reject all acts of persecution?"

Israel has killed close to 600 Palestinians in Gaza since its bombing of homes, schools and mosques began on December 27. Among the killed are women, children and entire families. One Palestinian family lost five daughters while they slept in their home in the Jabalya refugee camp.Their father, Anwar Balousha, was in unimaginable grief as he buried his five daughters; Tahrir, 17, Ikram, 15, Samar, 12, Dina 8, and Jawaher, 4.

President Hugo Chavez, affectionately known as "Chavez of Arabia", has long been very critical of Israel/USA government policies in the Middle East and has strongly supported the Palestinian cause. The USA is largely to blame for the genocide in Gaza through its military aid to the Zionist regime. USA taxpayers are contributing approximately 5 billion dollars per year for sophisticated and powerful military weapons to Israel.

Venezuela expels Israeli Ambassador Shlomo Cohen and other Jews

[3rdEye]

Israeli envoy to Caracas expelled

Venezuela has ordered the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador to Caracas in protest at Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip.

A number of diplomatic staff have been expelled along with Shlomo Cohen.

President Hugo Chavez has strongly condemned Israel for its actions and called on Israelis to stand up against their government.

Venezuela is the first country to take such a diplomatic step in protest at the violence in Gaza.

"The Israeli army is cowardly attacking worn-out, innocent people, while they claim that they are defending their people," Mr Chavez said during a visit to a children's hospital in Caracas.

"I call on the people of Israel to stand up against that government, to demand, to put a hand on their hearts and look at their children, and I call on the world to stop this madness."

Shortly after, the foreign ministry released a statement ordering the expulsion of Mr Cohen and some of his staff, in what they said was a show of solidarity with the Palestinians.

The BBC's Will Grant in Caracas says Mr Chavez often uses strong language to criticise Israel and is a close ally of Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, one of Israel's main enemies.

BBC NEWS | Americas | Israeli envoy to Caracas expelled

[Monolith]

I somehow expect a US military intervention against Venezuela.. At least in the next several years, that is.

[Vale]

Originally Posted by Monolith

I somehow expect a US military intervention against Venezuela.. At least in the next several years, that is.

Where there is oil, there are also american imperialists.....

[Jacob Le Bin]

Originally Posted by Monolith

I somehow expect a US military intervention against Venezuela.. At least in the next several years, that is.

Originally Posted by Vale

Where there is oil, there are also american imperialists.....

Argh! Vale just stole the words from my mouth.