On Tuesday, Venezuela’s socialist government announced the restoration of consular relations with Israel, effectively ending a 17-year estrangement that started under the late Hugo Chávez.
This shift marks a notable change from the previously harsh anti-Israel position held by Venezuela, which has been a longstanding ally of Iran.
Following the catastrophic June 24 earthquakes that resulted in over 6,300 fatalities and many injuries, Israel was among the nations that provided humanitarian aid to Venezuela.
According to an official release from Venezuela’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, both nations have decided to continue the cooperation initiated after the earthquake. This includes restoring consular relations and granting access to consular services for their citizens.
Foreign Minister Felix Plasencia shared the statement via social media on Tuesday. An official Spanish Twitter account for Israel also published this announcement shortly thereafter.
The statement emphasized that both governments acknowledge the significance of the relationship between Israel and the Jewish community in Venezuela, which is considered an important historical link between the two nations.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar praised the announcement and pointed out that this restoration of consular relations was the outcome of discussions with his Venezuelan counterpart. He underlined that the joint statement highlights the vital connection between Israel and Venezuela’s Jewish community.
The Venezuelan government had maintained a strong anti-Israel stance for over two decades, dating back to the early years of Chávez’s presidency. The late dictator forged a partnership with Iran, leading to a mutual alignment against the U.S. and Israel. Interestingly, for many years, Venezuela and Israel enjoyed friendly relations until Chávez’s election in 1999 prompted a reorientation of foreign policy towards ties with anti-Israel forces in the Middle East.
In 2006, Chávez began to weaken relations with Israel, fostering closer ties with Iran and even hosting then-Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Caracas. By January 2009, he severed all diplomatic ties, blaming Israel for actions he described as a “Holocaust” in Gaza. That same month, an invasion of a synagogue in Caracas caused significant damage and left anti-Semitic graffiti primarily aimed at the Jewish state.
A year later, Chávez publicly accused the U.S. of “sponsoring” terrorism through Israel, labeling the nation as “terrorists and assassins.” This moment was characterized as his most severe condemnation of Israel.
“I take this opportunity to once again condemn the State of Israel with all my heart and soul. The State of Israel, damn you, terrorists and murderers,” Chávez remarked at that time.
Continuing the legacy of anti-Israel sentiment, President Nicolás Maduro, Chávez’s successor, upheld this position after Chávez’s death in March 2013. In the wake of the Hamas terrorist strike on October 7, 2023, Maduro accused Israel of “genocide” in Gaza.
Delcy Rodríguez, who served as Maduro’s vice president until her capture by U.S. military forces in January 2026, also expressed public anti-Israel sentiments over the past decade. Following the October attack, she participated in protests against Israel and later released a video condemning what she described as the “genocide in Palestine” by Israel.
The “acting president” appears to have dramatically shifted his stance while leading the socialist organization. In July, Rodríguez met with Israeli experts who were in Venezuela to assess damage from the earthquake.
Recently, the Venezuelan regime also lodged a formal complaint with Iran, following remarks from Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who suggested in a media interview that Iran’s situation differs from Venezuela regarding U.S. negotiations—a comment presumably linked to Maduro’s arrest in January.
