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Bolivia breaks ties with Israel over Gaza
LA PAZ, Bolivia (CNN) -- Bolivia broke diplomatic relations with Israel on Wednesday over the Israeli incursion into Gaza, President Evo Morales announced.
Bolivian President Evo Morales announces Wednesday that he is severing diplomatic ties with Israel.
Morales also said his government will ask that Israeli President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert be declared war criminals.
"The Israeli government's crimes affect global stability and peace and have returned the world to the worst stage of crimes against humanity that we hadn't seen except in World War II and in the last years in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda," Morales said.
There was no immediate reaction from the Israeli government.
Bolivia is the second Latin American government to take action against Israel in response to the military operation that started December 27.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez expelled the Israeli ambassador from Caracas on January 6.
More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 5,000 wounded in the Gaza operation, Palestinian officials said Wednesday.
Israel said Wednesday 10 of its soldiers and three civilians have been killed and more than 100 soldiers have been wounded.
Israel has not decided whether to send another envoy back to the Venezuelan capital, The Jerusalem Post said on its Web site, citing an unnamed Israeli Foreign Ministry official. Israel also has not decided whether to respond by expelling Venezuela's representative from Israel, the Post said.
Although the Israeli Embassy in Caracas has had little recent contact with Chavez's leftist government, it has close ties with the 15,000-member Jewish community there, and that factor would be a consideration on whether to send another envoy, the Post said E-
LA PAZ, Bolivia (CNN) -- Bolivia broke diplomatic relations with Israel on Wednesday over the Israeli incursion into Gaza, President Evo Morales announced. Bolivian President Evo Morales announces Wednesday that he is severing diplomatic ties with Israel. Morales also said his government will ask that Israeli President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert be declared war criminals.
"The Israeli government's crimes affect global stability and peace and have returned the world to the worst stage of crimes against humanity that we hadn't seen except in World War II and in the last years in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda," Morales said.
There was no immediate reaction from the Israeli government.
Bolivia is the second Latin American government to take action against Israel in response to the military operation that started December 27.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez expelled the Israeli ambassador from Caracas on January 6.
More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 5,000 wounded in the Gaza operation, Palestinian officials said Wednesday.
Israel said Wednesday 10 of its soldiers and three civilians have been killed and more than 100 soldiers have been wounded.
Israel has not decided whether to send another envoy back to the Venezuelan capital, The Jerusalem Post said on its Web site, citing an unnamed Israeli Foreign Ministry official. Israel also has not decided whether to respond by expelling Venezuela's representative from Israel, the Post said.
Although the Israeli Embassy in Caracas has had little recent contact with Chavez's leftist government, it has close ties with the 15,000-member Jewish community there, and that factor would be a consideration on whether to send another envoy, the Post said E-
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