Chavez: No Desire to Talk to Israel

Chavez Has No Plan to Restore Ties With Israel Fox News — Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez says his government isn't considering restoring diplomatic ties with Israel. Chavez told the pan-Arab TV station Al-Jazeera that he would only reconsider if Israel's leaders stop being a "genocidal elite subordinated to the United States." click to read complete article

Op-Ed: Venezuela should repair its ties to Jewish community JTA — Venezuelan Jews historically have enjoyed positive relations with the Venezuelan government. It is precisely because of the embracing nature of Venezuelan society toward the Jewish people that the recent anti-Semitism cloaked in anti-Israel and anti-Zionist terms is so disturbing. Jews for hundreds of years have lived in Venezuela, which once served as a safe haven for Holocaust survivors and still is home to a significant Jewish community. So it is troubling that the leadership of the Latin American country has taken a wrong turn into fostering hatred, prejudice and bigotry against Jews and supports countries and terrorist groups that call for Israel's destruction. click to read complete article

President Chávez terms Israel "murderous government" El Universal — President Hugo Chávez described Israel as a "genocidal and murderous government" for its operations against the Palestinian people, in an interview with the pan-Arab Qatari TV station Al-Jazeera Live, in Doha, where he responded phone calls from Arab viewers. "We have broken relations with Israel and we have no plans to restore ties, at least for now," Chávez said in response to a TV viewer who identified himself as a spokesman for the Islamist movement Hamas in Damascus, who thanked Chávez for his solidarity during the Israeli military offensive on Gaza, AFP reported. click to read complete article