Venezuela's Chavez calls Israel 'murderous' US arm
Venezuelan president singles out comment by President Shimon Peres according to which his, Ahmadinejad's days in power numbered, says Israel stands for "murderous arm of Yankee empire'
Reuters Published: 11.26.09, 00:54 / Israel News

Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez used a visit byIranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday to brand Israel as a murderous agent of Washington. Chavez and Ahmadinejad, on the last leg of a tour of three left-leaning South American nations, hugged, held hands, and praised each other as fellow revolutionaries. The Venezuelan singled out a comment by Israeli President Shimon Peres, during a visit this month to South America, that his and Ahmadinejad's days in power may be numbered.

"We know what the state of Israel stands for - a murderous arm of the Yankee empire," Chavez told joint news conference. "What the president of Israel said, we take as a threat." Chavez broke relations with Israel this year. He won praise in the Muslim world after branding an Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip as genocide.

His fierce speeches against Israel are taken by some supporters as a green light for anti-Semitism and walls in Caracas are often daubed with anti-Jewish slogans. Ahmadinejad denies the Holocaust and has called for Israel to be wiped off the map. OPEC members Venezuela and Iran have grown much closer in recent years. Chavez supports Ahmadinejad's controversial nuclear program, while Iran is helping Venezuela map uranium deposits. The leaders were to sign a raft of business and industrial agreements during a visit that has drawn criticism from Venezuela's opposition which calls them both dictators.

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