Kisses from Venezuela – Chavez
Photo: AP
Childhood memories – Barakeh
Photo: Hagai Aharon
Chavez praises Israeli anti-war protestors
Venezuelan leader sends message of support to participants at northern Israel rally
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez offered words of support for the Palestinians in a message read during an anti-war rally in northern Israel Saturday.
In his message to the protestors, which was read to the crowd during the event, Chavez said: "We are not united by one nationality; rather, what unites us is…The blood shed in Gaza is the blood of humanity. Venezuela kisses each and every one of you and stresses that it supports the Palestinian people and all those who suffer from the occupation."
Thousands of Hadash party activists took part in the rally against the IDF operation in the Gaza Strip, while dozens of right-wing activists demonstrated outside the venue in Nazareth Ilit.
Goodbye, Venezuela
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Chavez has recently ordered the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador to Venezuela in protest of the Gaza operation.
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Addressing the rightist protestors outside the venue in his speech, Knesset Member Mohammad Barakeh said: "Remember who you are and on whose land you're standing. We have childhood memories here, the history of our forefathers, and a future. Those who have no memories from here have no right to talk to us. We insist on staying on this land – either on it, or buried in it."Holding a picture of a girl killed in the fighting, Barakeh said: "We can't allow ourselves to disappoint her soul. There are tears for Gaza, but at the same time there is a clear stance against the massacre. We continue to stand up to the occupier, to racism, and to the massacre, and we say: 'Stop the slaughter, because we will not give up.'"
"There are people – Tzipi Livni, Ehud Olmert, and Ehud Barak – who are attempting to score political points through the war," Barakeh said. "They are waging this war for the sake of elections, and we are running against the war in the elections."
