Israel mulls expelling Venezuela envoy

JERUSALEM, Jan. 7 (UPI) -- Israel's foreign ministry says it's debating whether to expel Venezuela's charge d'affaires after President Hugo Chavez banned Israel's ambassador to Caracas.

Yigal Palmor, spokesman for the Israeli foreign ministry, told CNN Wednesday the government would soon decide whether to engage in a tit-for-tat gesture with Chavez, who Tuesday expelled Israel's ambassador to the country in a protest over Jerusalem's invasion of the Gaza Strip.

Chavez accused Israel of attempting to perpetrate a "genocide" against Palestinian Arabs with the moves, which Israel says is a justified response to rocket and mortar fire launched from Gaza by Hamas militants, the U.S. broadcaster said.

Chavez blasted the Israeli military during a news conference carried on Venezuelan television, saying, "They are cowards. It's as though a boxing professional were to come here and challenge you to box. Well, how courageous! How courageous is the Israeli army!"

Mark Regev, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, told CNN he doubted other countries would follow Venezuela's example, saying, "I think, even in the Muslim and Arab countries, there is a fair amount of understanding for what Israel has had to do here."