V i v a Venezuela !
Jan 30, 2008. Venezuela's foreign ministry held a welcome home party for diplomats Jonathan Velasco and Roland Betancourt recalled from 'israel' in protest of the Gaza holocaust. As you can see in the photos below, they were presented with flowers, and also with scarves labeled "Palestine." The scarves show a map of "Palestine" in the colors of the Palestinian flag, with no so-called 'israel'.V I V A !
Jonathan Velasco and Roland Betancourt
Roland Betancourt
Jonathan Velasco
Venezuela Expels israeli Ambassador in Solidarity with Palestinian People
Venezuela in solidarity with the oppressed and colonized Palestinians and against the arrogant oppressors and colonizers ... we all know who those are! Venezuelan Foreign minister Nicolas Maduro speaking in solidarity with the Palestinian people.
Venezuelan Foreign minister Nicolas Maduro speaking in solidarity with Palestine (MPPRE)
January 7th 2009, by Tamara Pearson - Venezuelanalysis.com
Mérida, January 7, 2009 (venezuelanalysis.com)-- To express solidarity with the Palestinian people, Venezuela expelled israel’s ambassador, is organizing humanitarian aid, and has called on the international community to protest. In response, the israeli government called Venezuela a terrorist state.
The israeli ambassador in Venezuela, Shlomo Cohen, was expelled from Venezuela on Tuesday in response to the recent attacks by the israeli government on Gaza.
The Venezuelan ministry for foreign affairs explained the action its statement dated January 5:
The government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela witnesses once again, together with the peoples of the world, the horror of the death of innocent women and children as a result of the invasion of the Gaza strip by israeli troops and from the bombardment that, from sky and land, the State of israel systematically executes over Palestinian territory.
In this tragic and infuriating time, the people of Venezuela manifest their unlimited solidarity with the heroic Palestinian people, and share in the grief that has seized thousands of families for the loss of loved ones and holds its hands out to affirm that the Venezuelan government won’t rest until those responsible have been severely punished for these heinous crimes.
The government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela categorically condemns the blatant violations of International Law that the State of israel has committed and denounces its planned use of state terrorism, with which it has placed itself outside the community of nations.
For the above reasons, the government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela has decided to expel the israeli ambassador and part of the staff in the israeli embassy in Venezuela, reaffirming its position of peace and its demand for respecting international law.
The government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela has instructed its representatives to the United Nations, which together with most governments that agree, urges the Security Council to put urgent and necessary measures in place to stop this invasion by the state of israel against the Palestinian people.
President Hugo Chavez, who has held meetings with top representatives of the World Jewish Council and has always opposed anti-Semitism and all forms of discrimination and racism, makes a brotherly call on the Jewish people throughout the world to oppose the criminal politics of the state of israel that bring to mind the worst pages of the history of the twentieth century. With the genocide of the Palestinian people, the israeli state will never be able to offer its people a perspective of lasting peaces, as is so needed.
Chavez has demanded that the israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Omert, be taken to the International Criminal Court for his aggression against Gaza and for more than 500 civilian deaths.
“They bomb innocent people. Oh wow, how brave is the israeli army! And those who accuse me of being a tyrant and of genocide are the ones who stay silent in front of such evidence,” Chavez said.
He also called on the israeli people to rise up against their government and condemned the prohibition against water, food, and the International Red Cross entering the Gaza strip.
israeli response
israel will expel the Venezuelan charge d’affaires, based in Tel Aviv, in retaliation for the expulsion of the israeli ambassador from Venezuela.
israel’s Minister for Foreign Affairs said in her response, “israel will continue defending itself from its enemies, among those Hamas and Iran, with which Venezuela has close ties.”
“Venezuela needs to choose what side of the war it is on. It should choose between those who struggle against terrorism and those who support it. It is no surprise that Venezuela has again made clear to the world on what side it positions itself.”
Roy Chaderton Matos, the Venezuelan ambassador to the Organization of American States, in an interview on Venezuelan state TV, said that israel was being totalitarian when it classified Venezuela as an “ally of terrorism” and he likened the language used in the statement from israel to that of the Bush administration.
Matos said that israel is a military government that knows no other solution than violence and that Venezuela would always defend persecuted peoples, “this includes persecuted Jews, Arabic peoples, and any others.”
Hamas, in a press release on its website, said that it appreciated the “courageous” step by Chavez, a step that no other “Arab countries who maintain relations with israel, dare to take.”
Further solidarity
On Tuesday the Venezuelan National Assembly had a minute of silence for the victims of the israeli armed forces in the Gaza strip. Legislator Roy Daza proposed the minute of silence, saying that the attacks on Gaza deserve the complete rejection of the international community.
Daza said the invasion is genocide against the Palestinian people and asked the National Assembly to sign a declaration condemning the actions of the israeli government as criminal.
The National Assembly in its official statement demanded a cease of all military action by israel in Gaza and rejected the attitude taken on by the United Nations Security Council of not stopping the “massacre…owing to the veto imposed by the United States government.”
It said, “An end must be brought to the occupation of the territories [of Palestine], and to the siege imposed on the Gaza strip, to the israeli settlements, and the question of the Palestinian refugees must be resolved, to be able to guarantee peace in the region.”
The Palestinian flag will be raised in the National Assembly for one month as a gesture of solidarity.
Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro announced that the government would establish an “air bridge” to send humanitarian aid to Palestine. Venezuela would work with other Arabic and Muslim nations, he said, as well as with other Latin American countries, to bring medicine, food, water, and milk to Palestine.
Maduro called the expulsion of the israeli ambassador from Venezuela an “act full of love, the desire for peace, as well as anger, pain and condemnation, a greeting and a brotherly hug of solidarity.”
“The world must raise its voice, as the most powerful of all the powers of the world is the people, international public opinion, and it should continue raising its voice in all the streets of all the cities and towns until a cease fire is imposed, Gaza is no longer occupied and there are fair peace negotiations for the Palestinian people,” he said.
http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news/4089
The following is a transcript of the video directly below of Hugo Chavez speech during the holocaust of Gaza. It is only a 6-minute speech. Where the hell were the decadent and bloated Arab regimes when Hugo Chavez stood up for the Palestinian people during their time of need?
Imagine what is happening in Gaza. As we know, it is an operation that started sometime ago. And one has to study the history of this horrible conflict, this terrible injustice against the people of Palestine. For me there is no doubt about it ... no proofs, but I have no problem with it to say that ... ich don't have proofs, but also no doubt that they murdered our brother Yassir Arafat. POISNED! Yes, they poisoned him! And that was scheduled, designed by the CIA, the Mossad ... by the CIA and the Mossad! And so, in the first step for the weakening of those who were able and in the position to bring about progress - like Yassir Arafit did - the leader of the people of Palestine, due to his urbaneness and internal strength. When they murdered Yassir Arafat, the imperialistic strategists knew what would happen then: the division of the Palestinian movement! Arafat was the only leader who was able to hold the two movements Hamas and Fatah together and united. Now the leader was gone and they dispersed. The imperialistic strategists, whose possibilities must not be undervalued, knew who now would rule, what then would happen: a lack of leadership and they knew that they would create chaos. They also knew that the people of Palestine, who had decided themselves for free elections, would choose the Hamas movement as their government and so it happened and they (israel) did not accept the so-called "terrorist government", so it was the perfect smokescreen for invasion, murder, killing and bombing. It is now their plan to erase the Gaza strip. Two years ago, we saw pictures and the israeli government said, they would take the Jewish settlements out for making it easier for the Palestinian government. A lie! That was only done for the sake of removing their own Jewish people and then having plenty of scope, free hands. With Jewish settlements inside, they would not have been able to accomplish the outrageous bombings of an innocent people as they are doing it now. That would have been difficult, killing their own (Jewish) people. Now they have free hands and that is a horrible thing. As you already know, Alberto, the israeli council of Ministers decided in a moment (change of thought) ... the murder of Yassir Arafat, they decided it. The United States of America gave its approval to that, of course, in secrecy. In the first step, it undertook to weaken the safety of Yassir Arafat and then to poison him. It was the beginning of a plan which has a name and different phases. This is now the final stage for (ethnic) cleansing the Gaza and for erasing more than one million people. All that after blockading Gaza for years, a blockage of that kind, which they did not even let the Red Cross to deliver medicines, food, nothing! And the world is watching with crossed arms. That is what the world is looking like. But not Venezuela! The people of Venezuela stood up, calling for peace for the people of Palestine, respect for Palestine (applause). Hopefully we will see whether it is true or not that Obama and the new government of the United States of America will come to a new understanding of the world. We will see on the 20th of January if it becomes true that the new president will terminate the war in Iraq. And hopefully also, the unlimited assistance to israel for attacking, murdering, killing, violating UN resolutions, and the suppression of human values and human rights. That is the insanity of imperialism. israel, israel, let me say it this way: it has become the murdering arm of the North American Emporium. Here in South America, they had tried to install something of the israeli kind. But from here on there will not be a murdering arm (israel) for attacking Latin-American states. (applause). Day by day, Latin-America is becoming more united, more free, and hopefully the Arab people too would get to be united.
Chávez Welcomes Expulsion of Venezuelan Diplomats from Israel
Hugo Chavez
January 30th 2009, by James Suggett - Venezuelanalysis.com
Mérida, January 30th 2009 (Venezuelanalysis.com)-- Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez said Israel’s expulsion of Venezuela’s representative to Israel, Roland Betancourt, on Wednesday was an “honor,” and accused the Israeli government of committing genocide against Palestinians.
“It is an honor for this socialist government and this revolutionary people to have our representatives expelled by a genocidal government such as Israel,” said Chávez upon his arrival in Brazil on Thursday, where he attended the World Social Forum.
Chávez, a consistent critic of U.S. and Israeli militarism, expelled the Israeli ambassador from Caracas and formally broke off relations with Israel in early January, to protest the U.S. ally’s occupation and invasion of the Gaza Strip.
On Wednesday, Lior Hayat, the Israeli foreign ministry official for Latin America, declared Betancourt and two colleagues “persona non grata.”
Venezuela-Israel relations have been strained for many years. Israel has opposed Venezuela’s growing economic and political relationship with its enemy Iran. President Chávez says the partnership is part of his plan to construct a “pluri-polar world” that is not dominated by the United States and Europe.
Also, Israel and Jewish organizations in the U.S. have accused both Iran and Venezuela of supporting radical Islamic groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah in Latin America and the Middle East—an accusation that Venezuela’s foreign minister vehemently denied recently.
On Tuesday, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates testified before the U.S. Congress that he is “very concerned about the level of truly subversive activities that Iran has developed in various parts of Latin America.”
Venezuelan Foreign Relations Minister Nicolás Maduro dismissed the accusations. “We have a transparent relationship with the Arab peoples, aimed at cooperation for peace and development,” said Maduro. “If we had official relations with these organizations, we would say it publicly.”
Maduro also accused Israel and the U.S. of using such claims to justify military intervention in Palestinian territories, Venezuela, and other parts of the world.
Alternative media organizations and other political groups in Venezuela, many of them supporters of the Chávez government, burned Israeli flags and chanted anti-Israel and anti-Jewish slogans during rallies to protest the siege of Gaza in January. Swastikas have appeared spray-painted on walls, often superimposed or equated with the Star of David or an Israeli flag, implying that Israel has committed genocide.
Earlier this week, an Israeli newspaper reported that a prominent leader of the Jewish community in Venezuela, Abraham Levy Benshimol, had declared that in Venezuela, “anti-Semitism is supported by the president, through the government and the media.”
Venezuelan Foreign Relations Minister Nicolás Maduro denied this accusation as well. “Our government guarantees total and absolute religious freedom and non-discrimination on religious grounds. These are not problems that our society has,” Maduro said in an interview on state television.
“The newspaper in Israel that said that is shamelessly lying,” Maduro added, attributing the accusations to “a perverse campaign by elites in the Israeli government against President Hugo Chávez and our country.”
Maduro also said the media should not conflate criticism of the Israeli government with anti-Semitism, and reiterated the Venezuelan government’s “call out to the Jewish people to condemn these crimes [of the Israeli state] and demand respect for the Palestinian people.”
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Source URL (retrieved on Jun 14 2009 - 19:11): http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news/4155