Favorite Line: "persona non grata in Israel"

[scottishlanen]

Israel expels Venezuela envoy

Israel says it has ordered Venezuela's diplomats to leave the country, following the decision by Venezuela to sever diplomatic relations.

Venezuela expelled the Israeli ambassador and his staff from Caracas on 6 January in protest at Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip.

A week later, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez

Comments

[caselah]

An interesting tidbit, in a protest here in Kuwait during what al-Jazeera termed, "The War On Gaza" one of the demonstrators carried a picture of Chavez around that said, "Chavez, the real Arab leader." I think the picture was in the Kuwait Times.

[scottishlanen]

Yeah, I saw that too. Made me question the human race. Kind of like when people carry around pictures or wear t-shirts of Che. Public education has failed miserably.

[caselah]

lol The wearing of Che shirts is an obvious indicator on the failings of public education.

In the case I mentioned it was a valid claim by the Arab street. Chavez took a much larger symbolic step than the Arab states did. However, Chavez has little to loose by expelling Israeli diplomats compared to the Arab states whom have little recognizance of Israel in the first place and have had their ass handed to them on a platter numberous times in the past. By concrete steps, armed conflict against the Israel to compel them to stop, or embargo against Israeli supporters like in 1973 after the Yom Kippur war. Neither occured, because it is all a political game of internal stability and politics for the Arab states, and I think an oil embargo would be bad for business in an already crappy economic climate. Although embargoees would feel the pinch in the pocket book, so would the embargoers if not more so.

Chavez? He can just keep playing the role of the anti-imperialist at home and aboard.