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Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro has launched an “SOS Palestine” campaign to demand an end to Israel’s ongoing bombardment of Palestine’s Gaza strip, said on July 12.

“Enough already, I’ve joined the campaign,” he told supporters during a televised broadcast. “#SOS Palestina, let’s launch it.”

Holding up a handwritten placard, he asked fellow citizens to join the campaign, stating, “The Palestinian people have the right to live in their ancestral lands in peace.”

Solidarity activities with Palestine were held in the Venezuelan capital Caracas on July 10 and 11. Maduro has condemned Israel’s assault as “unjust, disproportionate and illegal”, and has called for the bombardment to end.

Venezuela cut diplomatic ties with Israel in January 2009 in response to its assault of the Gaza strip that year, which killed over 1000 Palestinians. Venezuela has since built up an alliance with Palestine, including signing “solidarity” health, education and oil deals.

The Bolivarian Alliance of the People's of Our America (ALBA), an anti-imperialist bloc formed by Venezuelan and Cuba in 2004 that united eight nations, has also issued a statement, in which it “energetically rejects the attack perpetrated by the Israeli authorities”.

“We regret the assassination of the Israeli citizens,” the statement said, “but we affirm that these regrettable murders don’t justify nor authorise the Israeli state to, yet again, unleash a disproportional offensive.”

ALBA said it reaffirmed “our unconditional solidarity, support, and sorrow for the Palestinian people”.

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