On Wednesday 7th March, President Mahmoud Abbas mourned the Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and offered his condolences to the Venezuelan people and government on behalf of the Palestinians, Palestinian official news agency WAFA reported.

Abbas said, in a statement, that the Palestinians had lost a friend who passionately defended their right to freedom.

The president expressed sadness over Chavez's passing, praising his support for the Palestinians, adding that the Palestinian people will always remember him and his courageous stands in support of the Palestinian bid for non-member state status at the UN.

Abbas said that this tragic loss will motivate the Venezuelans' to carry on and pursue their progress and prosperity as well as carry on all the values, especially of freedom, that late Chavez has carried and struggled for.