Venezuela’s president, Nicolas Maduro, speaks after testifying before the electoral chamber at main headquarters of the Supreme Court of Justice in Caracas, Aug. 2, 2024 (Jesus Vargas/Getty Images)

(JTA) — Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has blamed “international Zionism” for the protests sweeping his country since he was accused of stealing its presidential election.

Maduro’s government has cracked down on thousands of protesters who took to the streets over the results of Venezuela’s July 28 election, arresting 2,000 people and killing 20. Venezuela’s electoral authority said that Maduro was reelected with 51% of the vote but has refused to release precinct-level tallies.

Detailed tallies from his opposition say that Maduro’s opponent Edmundo Gonzalez likely won with 67% of the vote, aligning with independent exit polls and analyses by the Washington Post and the Associated Press.

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The disputed election quickly fanned unrest in Venezuela, ruled by Maduro’s socialist government for 11 years — a period that saw nearly 8 million Venezuelans flee the country amid a devastating economic collapse, exacerbated by U.S. oil sanctions. Maduro himself came into power in 2013 after being hand-picked by late President Hugo Chávez.

This week, he pinned the turmoil on his opposition, which he said was “supported” and “financed” by “international Zionism.”

“All the communication power of Zionism, which controls all the social networks, the satellites and all the power is behind this coup d’état,” Maduro said in a televised address.

Venezuela and Israel have not had formal relations since 2009, when Chavez broke off ties in response to that year’s Gaza war. Maduro is among a broad cohort of Latin American leaders who are deeply critical of Israel and strong supporters of the Palestinians.

His comment was slammed by Deborah Lipstadt, the U.S. special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism, who accused him of harnessing historic antisemitic tropes about Jews controlling the world.

“Maduro’s absurd claim that Jews are behind election protests in Venezuela is antisemitic and unacceptable,” Lipstadt tweeted. “The Venezuelan people have gone to the streets to peacefully call for their votes to be counted. We reject all forms of antisemitism, and the use of these types of age-old tropes fans the flames of Jew hatred in Latin America and throughout the world.”

Venezuela is home to about 6,000 Jews, down from a height of about 25,000 in the 1990s. Many left over the economic policies of Chavez and Maduro.

The criticism adds to a wave of international condemnation over Maduro’s claim to victory. Though Russia, China, North Korea and Iran have stood by Maduro, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said there was “overwhelming evidence” that Gonzalez won the election and Washington recognized him as the victor. The European Union also said that it does not recognize Maduro’s proclaimed result.

The leaders of Brazil, Colombia and Mexico have urged Maduro to allow an audit of the vote and called on the electoral authorities to release detailed voting data.

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