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Caracas protesters cheer Israeli envoy's expulsion
CARACAS, Venezuela — Protesters condemning Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip sprayed graffiti and hurled shoes at the country's embassy in Venezuela on Thursday, backing President Hugo Chavez's decision to expel the Israeli ambassador.
Demonstrators waved Palestinian flags and chanted "Gaza, hold on! The world is rising up!" Journalists estimated the crowd at about 1,000.
Some threw shoes and firecrackers at the seven-story building housing the Embassy, while others spray-painted "Israel Get Out" and "Long live a free Palestine" on its ground-level storefronts.
Objects hurled by protesters smashed several of the building's windows.
The protest came two days after Chavez ordered Ambassador Shlomo Cohen to leave in protest over the attacks in Gaza. Israel says Cohen has been given until Friday to depart, and the nation is considering expelling Venezuelan diplomats in response.
More than 700 have been killed since Israel launched the offensive Dec. 27, aiming to halt Palestinian rocket attacks into southern Israel.
The protesters included Venezuelans of Arab descent and Chavez supporters with no links to the Middle East.
"I disagree with them killing all those people," said Robert Cardenas, a 43-year-old art museum employee.
Chavez has long been critical of Israel in its conflict with the Palestinians. He accuses the Israeli government of acting as an arm of Washington.
January 8, 2009 04:46 PM EST |
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