Venezuela’s president Hugo Chávez Frias has said he had no plans to resume ties with Israel in the wake of its military operation in Gaza. In an interview with the news channel ‘Al Jazeera’ Chávez said he would not resume diplomatic relations until the Jewish state reconsiders its “genocidal attitude.” The Venezuelan leader made his comments in Doha, Qatar, where he is attending the second summit of Arab and South American countries. The conference is running in parallel with the Arab League summit currently meeting in the Qatar’s capital. Chávez expelled the Israeli ambassador in Caracas in January to protest against the military operation in Gaza.
In the same interview, he reaffirmed his close relationship with Iran as Venezuela’s best friend. “The friendship with Iran has been built up from zero, since at the beginning of our revolution there was an absolute lack of knowledge … of the great development of the Iranian nation,” Chávez said. Both countries are founding members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and have called for the formation of an axis to create a political counterweight to what they call US-backed imperialism.
