Venezuelan president urges Jewish people to stop Netanyahu

By Sinan Dogan and Gizem Nisa Demir

BOGOTA (AA) – Venezuela’s president on Wednesday called on the Jewish people to move to stop Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amid the escalating conflict sparked by Israel's attacks on Iran.

In an address on state broadcaster VTV, Nicolas Maduro appealed directly to Jewish communities worldwide, including those in the occupied Palestinian territories and within Israel, urging them to take action against what he described as Netanyahu’s destructive policies.

Evoking his Sephardic Jewish background, he said: "In the name of the heritage that flows through my veins, I call upon the noble Jewish people around the world, in the occupied Palestinian territories, and within the borders of the State of Israel: You must stop this war. You must stop Netanyahu and put an end to this hellish war madness with neighboring countries – the madness of trying to conquer and colonize all of the Middle East and Western Asia.”

On Sunday, Maduro had condemned Israeli actions in Gaza and the West Bank, saying: "A massacre was allowed to take place against the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank, and the world remained silent. They were armed, given money, planes, and missiles – so they could kill thousands of children, women, men, and the elderly."