"The Hebrew people do not deserve this genocidal, murderous government," said Chavez, who is in the Qatari capital, where he attended an Arab-Latin American summit on Tuesday.

Calling for "solidarity with the Palestinian people," he said "we have broken (diplomatic) relations with Israel and have no plans to restore them, even less so now."

Chavez was speaking hours after hawkish Benjamin Netanyahu began his second term as Israeli prime minister, heading a largely right-wing cabinet that has raised fears about the future of the Middle East peace process.

In the interview, the Venezuelan leader answered in Spanish questions posed by a viewer, who identified himself as a spokesman in Damascus for the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas and thanked him for Venezuela's stand during Israel's devastating new year's war on Gaza.

On January 15, Venezuela severed ties with Israel in reaction to the war, which ended three days later. A government statement said Caracas was reacting to the "cruel persecution of the Palestinian people directed by Israeli authorities."