"It's really outrageous to watch Israel as it continues to abuse, bomb and massacre innocent people with its yankee planes," Chavez said. (Reuters)

CARACAS — Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Thursday, August 3, ordered the withdrawal of Venezuela's ambassador in Israel in protest against the Israeli offensives in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories.

"I have ordered the withdrawal of our ambassador in Israel," Chavez said during a speech in the northwestern state of Falcon, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.

"It's really outrageous to watch Israel as it continues to abuse, bomb and massacre innocent people with its yankee planes," added the leftist leader.

Up to 900 Lebanese civilians, third of whom were children, since Israel has launched a 24-day-long blitz in Lebanon on the claim of seeking the release of two soldiers taken prisoner by the Lebanese resistance group Hizbullah.

The sepulchral silence and hoary-old clichés of Arab and Muslim rulers at the non-stop Israeli massacres have left their peoples boiling.

Turkey was among the few Muslim countries — if not the only — to have take a firm action of protest.

Some 70 Turkish MPs have resigned from Turkey-Israel Inter-parliamentary Friendship Group.

Egypt and Jordan, Mauritania – the only Arab countries having diplomatic ties with Israel – have rejected calls to withdraw ambassadors from Tel Aviv or expel the Israeli envoys.

Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia have rather blamed Hizbullah for triggering the conflict.

Pundits believe that some Arab rulers hoped that Hizbullah would be defeated by Israel, fearing that a victory by the resistance group would serve as a catalyst for reformists to push forward with their demands.

Indignation

Chavez also hit out at the excessive Israeli force.

"It really causes indignation to see how the state of Israel continues bombing, killing ... with all of the power they have, with the support of the United States," he added.

Israel on Friday, August 4, continued its destruction of the Lebanese infrastructure, destroying three highway bridges north of Beirut.

Up to 23 Lebanese were killed Friday in Israeli air strikes on southern Lebanon.

Israel also stepped up its offensive against the Gaza Strip on Friday, killing four Palestinians in Rafah, taking to 12 the number of people killed in the area in less than 24 hours.

At least 164 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed since Israel launched an open-ended military offensive on Gaza on claims of recovering a soldier taken prisoner by Palestinian groups to swap for 95 women and 313 children who are among almost 10,000 Arabs in Israeli prisons.

Genocide

Chavez also denounced the world indifference to the Israeli massacres against the Lebanese and Palestinian people.

"You can't understand why the world looks on with nonchalance. You can't understand why nobody does anything to stop this horror," he said, blaming the United States for failing to stop the Israeli onslaught.

"The United States has prevented the (UN) Security Council from taking any action to stop Israel's genocide against the people of Palestine and Lebanon."

Washington has resisted mounting calls for an immediate ceasefire of the Israeli offensive in Lebanon.

Washington also drew rebuke across the Arab and Muslim world for shipping arms and leaser-guided bombs to Israel to be used during its attacks in Lebanon.

"That's one of the reasons behind the United States' blatant, frank and immoral drive to bar us from joining the UN Security Council," said Chavez, referring to Venezuela's efforts to seek a permanent seat on the council.

Venezuela is the world's No. 5 oil exporter and a key supplier of oil to the United States.