Nicaragua severs diplomatic ties with Israel

MANAGUA -- Nicaragua announced on Friday the decision to sever diplomatic relations with Israel in response to what the Nicaraguan government called "the brutal genocide" that Israel wages against the Palestinian people.

The move responds to a request by the Central American country's parliament, the National Assembly, which approved a declaration of condemnation during a special session held on the first anniversary of the Gaza conflict.

The parliament condemned "the continued genocide, cruelty, extreme hatred and extermination carried out by the government of Israel," the Nicaraguan government said in a statement.

The decision is "in permanent solidarity" with the people and government of Palestine, and adheres to international law and the conventions that govern interstate and inter-governmental relations, it said.

The government headed by President Daniel Ortega also reiterated "the demand for compliance with all United Nations Resolutions" for a "free, sovereign, independent and self-determined" state of Palestine.

The statement also expressed "warm and consistent affection" for Israeli families, who "live through difficult times as a result of the excessive brutality and hatred of the government of Israel."