ISRAEL'S "FRIENDS" AROUND THE WORLD

Costa Rica to Move Israel Embassy Out of Jerusalem (Reuters)
Costa Rica will move its embassy in Israel from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv, its new president, Oscar Arias, said on Wednesday, in a move that pleases Arab nations and is a blow to Israel. "It's time to rectify an historic error that hurts us internationally and deprives us of almost any form of friendship with the Arab world, and more broadly with Islamic civilization, to which a sixth of humanity belongs," Arias said. Former Costa Rican President Luis Alberto Monge moved the embassy to Jerusalem in 1982 as a show of support for Israel.

Italian Foreign Minister Criticizes for Stroll with Hizballah Minister (AKI-Italy)
A photograph of Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema strolling arm-in-arm with Hizballah-linked Lebanese cabinet minister Faouzi Salloukh during the Italian minister's visit to Lebanon on Monday has stirred controversy in Italy, with a spokesman for Rome's Jewish community condemning the gesture. "It's incredible that our foreign minister can go arm-in-arm with an enemy, not just of Israel, but of peace," Riccardo Pacifici told La Stampa Thursday.

As Chavez cozies up to Iran,Venezuelan community shudders
CARACAS, Venezuela, Aug. 20 (JTA) -- Rebecca, a 44-year-old Jew born and raised here, says she and her husband "increasingly talk about whether we should stay in Venezuela." While her cousin and aunt have spent the past month in a bomb shelter in Haifa, Rebecca, who refuses to give her last name because her family does some work with the Venezuelan government, says she also feels "increasingly fearful" -- not because of war but simply for being Jewish in Venezuela. This is largely because of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's vehement criticism of Israel during its monthlong war with Hezbollah. Chavez has described Israel's actions in Lebanon as a "new Holocaust," and said that “Israel is doing what Hitler did to the Jews.”

Chavez’s supporters have followed his lead: Graffiti featuring swastikas and slogans such as “Judios asesinos” — or “Jewish assassins” — is on the rise. Many Jews here think Chavez’s heated rhetoric is fanning the flames of anti-Semitism — an ongoing theme during the Chavez administration, they say.