The Israeli government responded by recalling the Israeli ambassador to Venezuela. Chávez went on to repeat the comparison with the Holocaust several days later. In the Arab world Chávez's actions and comments saw widespread praise, with Al-Ahram Weekly commenting that Chávez had "emerged as the most popular leader within the Arab world". According to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Chávez "is pursuing closer strategic relations with Arab countries and Iran, and is emerging as a key supporter of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Although it's not unusual for OPEC members to maintain relations, Carlos Romero, a political scientist at the Universidad Central de Venezuela, says that 'since the foundation of Israel, Venezuela has maintained equilibrium between its interests in Israel and Arab countries. Chávez has broken this'." Venezuelan Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez said on August 13, 2006, that Venezuela would not endorse an OPEC oil embargo in response to the Middle East crisis, but did say, "What we have been warning and denouncing over the past two years is the permanent aggression of U.S. foreign policy toward OPEC producers" which continue to "pressure" the oil market. Ramirez attributed record high oil prices to U.S. "policy of permanent aggression toward Venezuela, Iran" and "countries in the Persian Gulf." On August 25, 2006, Reuters reported that Chávez had called for Israeli leaders to face a trial for genocide over killing in the Lebanon conflict. Speaking from Beijing, Chávez said the Jewish state had "done something similar or, perhaps worse, who knows, than what the Nazis did". In August 2006, during Chávez's visit to Syria, El Universal reported that the Governments of Syria and Venezuela demanded that Israel retire from the Golan Heights. 2008 In 2008, during the spat with Colombia over the latter's intrusion into Ecuador, Chávez said "the Colombian government has become the Israel of Latin America." In doing so he also reiterated his criticism of the Israel Defense Forces' strikes on Palestinian militants. His remarks were criticized by the Israeli ambassador to Argentina Rafael Eldad accusing Chávez of "introducing the culture of hatred into Latin America" while calling for messages of peace and calm for the region. Gaza War (2009) On January 5, Chávez called the violence "state terrorism", saying of the attacks "the Holocaust, that is what is happening right now in Gaza". Chávez accused Israel of "flagrant violations of International Law" and stated that the Israeli Prime Minister and American