Venezuela’s 35-year-old new leader, Juan Guaido, thanked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday for recognizing his new government.
Hace 74 años se liberó el campo de concentración de y hoy justamente cuando nuestro país lleva también una lucha por su la libertad, agradecemos el reconocimiento y apoyo al Primer Ministro de Israel Benjamín Netanyahu https://t.co/IPCEylODB9
— Juan Guaidó (@jguaido)
Guaido, who leads the country’s National Assembly, marked Netanyahu’s recognition in a post on the Twitter social networking site with a nod to the 74th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp, saying his country is also fighting for its freedom.
Earlier in the day, Netanyahu said in a statement, “Israel joins the United States, Canada, most of the countries of Latin America and countries in Europe in recognizing the new leadership in Venezuela.”
Guaido, who has declared himself interim president of Venezuela, called on the country’s citizens Monday to take to the streets this coming Wednesday as he attempts to win the hearts of the nation’s powerful military, which is still being wooed by dictator Nicolas Maduro, in power since 2013.
The United States was the first country to announce its support for the new leader and declare Maduro’s January electoral victory to be illegitimate. Guaido is now taking steps to seize control of Venezuela’s bank accounts and other financial assets abroad, as well as within the country.