Venezuela opens relations with PA

Venezuela opened diplomatic relations with the Palestinian Authority just months after leftist President Hugo Chavez broke ties with Israel to protest January attacks on the Gaza Strip. There are plans to inaugurate a new embassy in Caracas.

Although not formally recognized as a nation by the global diplomatic community, the Palestinian territories have embassies in the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Asia. Both Cuba and Argentina host Palestinian envoys.

Venezuela's relations with Israel have remained tense since Chavez's expulsion of the Israeli envoy in January following bombing that killed hundreds in Gaza. In 2006 he withdrew Venezuela's envoy to Israel to protest the Lebanon invasion.