LatAm leaders speak out on Israeli air strikes

For the third consecutive day Israeli air strikes have been launched against purported Hamas targets in Gaza, killing approximately 300 people. Reactions worldwide to the actions have included the conciliatory by Pope Benedict XVI, the indignant from several Arab states, and the overtly political by the Bush administration.

Several Latin American governments have also spoken out on the events in Gaza, mainly to condemn Israeli actions:

• A Cuban government communiqué termed the air strikes as "the bloodiest attack Israel has ever launched against the Palestinian people".
  
• Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez condemned what he called “criminal” attacks and criticized the U.S.’ staunch defense of Israel.
  
• A Brazilian government statement called on both the Palestinian and Israeli governments to cease the violence and regretted that attacks by both sides have “affected mainly the civilian population.”
• Argentina's Foreign Ministry lamented the violence and called on Israel to allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza.
  

The U.N. General Assembly president also gave his two cents on the Gaza actions. Nicaraguan Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann- who has been in the middle of a diplomatic spat with Israel- reportedly had this to say:

A statement, issued here early Sunday by his spokesperson, said:" The Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip represent severe and massive violations of international humanitarian law as defined in the Geneva Conventions, both in regard to the obligations of an occupying power and in the requirements of the laws of war."

"The behavior by Israel in bombarding Gaza is simply the commission of wanton aggression by a very powerful state against a territory that illegally occupies," the statement said.

Image- BBC News
Online Sources- The Latin Americanist, BBC News, AP, Xinhua, Prensa Latina, CNN, AFP, newsday.com