Venezuela condemns 'genocide,' 'extermination' of Palestinians by Israel

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Venezuela condemns "genocide" and "extermination" of the Palestinian people being carried out by Israel, Foreign Minister Yvan Gil said on Thursday.

The only solution to the conflict lies within the creation of a Palestinian state backed by the UN Security Council, Gil told a news conference in Moscow following a meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.

"We have already made a demand for an immediate cease-fire in order to move on to negotiations. We see that the extermination of the Palestinian people is being carried out by Israel. It's unbearable. And the international community will not tolerate this," he stressed.

Gil backed the agreements reached at the recent joint summit of the Arab League and Organizations of Islamic Cooperation, and urged the international community "to mobilize its forces to support the Palestinian people."

The Venezuelan official said Israel "every day violates human rights and international legislation" through bombing, attacking hospitals and other civilian infrastructure.

"There can be no questions here. This policy should be stopped immediately. It is necessary to investigate and condemn the perpetrators of war crimes, and the people of the Gaza Strip and Palestine should have the right to exercise their right to independence and gain their land," he added.