Venezuela ? Venezuela and Bolivia broke off diplomatic relations with Israel on Wednesday to protest its military offensive in Gaza.

The decisions by the leftist governments of Hugo Chavez and Evo Morales came about a week after Venezuela expelled the Israeli ambassador in Caracas, Shlomo Cohen, and seven embassy staff members to protest the Jewish state’s actions in Gaza.

Venezuela “has decided to break off diplomatic relations with the state of Israel given the inhumane persecution of the Palestinian people,” the foreign ministry said in a statement Wednesday.