ANTI-ISRAELI ACTIONS IN CARACAS

C O N F I D E N T I A L CARACAS 000032 SIPDIS HQSOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD DEPT FOR AID/OTI (RPORTER) E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/02/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL VE IS SUBJECT: ANTI-ISRAELI ACTIONS IN CARACAS Classified By: POLITICAL COUNSELOR FRANCISCO FERNANDEZ, REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D) ¶1. (SBU) Approximately 1,000 PSUV activists and associated leftist supporters held a brief January 8 march in Caracas to protest Israel's invasion of the Gaza strip and the USG's supposed role. That same day, some 15 masked vandals spray painted pro-Palestinian graffiti on the perimeter wall of the Mariperez synagogue and the National Assembly raised a Palestinian flag in soilidarity for the victims in Gaza. Other protesters, numbering a few dozen, threw spare shoes at the wall of the Israeli embassy. Small rallies also occurred in Barquisimeto and Puerto La Cruz. ¶2. (SBU) The marchers carried a variety of banners, most demanding in Spanish or Arabic, the embargo of Venezuelan oil to Israel and others calling President Bush or the United States murderers for declaring war on Muslims. Curiously, there were also numerous placards exhorting Venezuelans to boycott McDonald's, Wendy's or Proctor and Gamble in favor of Venezuelan products. Hindu Anderi of the Forum of Popular Power accused multi-national corporations of acting in the interests of Zionists, adding "if you eat at McDonald's, you eat Palestinian blood." ¶3. (C) Comment: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez uses anti-Semitism when it suits his electoral needs. His expulsion of the Isreali Ambassador and these demonstrations are part of a calculated effort to show himself as a strong leader and play on the sympathies of his supporters to ensure their support in the upcoming referendum for unlimited re-election. End Comment. GENNATIEMPO