Israel and Venezuela restore diplomatic relations after years of severed ties
Israel and Venezuela announced the restoration of official diplomatic relations after 17 years of severed ties in mutual statements published on Tuesday.
The rapprochement comes under acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez, who has realigned Venezuela towards the US since she took office in January, after the US abduction and imprisonment of then-President Nicolas Maduro.
US President Donald Trump has boasted of running Venezuela following the capture of Maduro.
In a statement posted on X, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said that the two countries had "agreed to establish a coordination mechanism that will enable the provision of consular services to citizens of both countries".
A similar statement was posted by Venezuela's foreign minister, Felix Plasencia Gonzalez.
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Venezuela had long been one of a slim list of non-Muslim majority states with no official relations with Israel.
The Bolivarian Republic first severed ties in 2009 under leftist President Hugo Chavez in response to mass civilian casualties during Israel's first major war on Gaza, known in Israel as Operation Cast Lead.
Official relations between the two countries remained frozen for decades after Chavez was succeeded by Maduro, who instead deepened Venezuela's diplomatic ties with both the Palestinian Authority and Iran.
A wave in Latin America
Tuesday's statement comes after months of unofficial ties between the two states since Maduro's abduction by the US.
In February, Bloomberg reported that Venezuelan oil had been shipped to Israel for the first time in decades, prompting denials from Venezuela's minister of information.
Israel later provided Venezuela with relief and assistance after a devastating double earthquake hit the country in June, killing over 6,000.
Statements from both Israel and Venezuela each touted the "importance of the connection between the State of Israel and the Jewish community of Venezuela". There are around 6,000 Jews in Venezuela, according to the World Jewish Congress.
Israel has welcomed a wave of support from Latin American states in recent months amid the election of several right-wing leaders across the continent, and in spite of Israel's genocide in Gaza, where over 73,000 Palestinians have been killed.
Venezuela's announcement comes the same day as neighbouring Colombia recognised Israeli sovereignty over the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, territory that is widely regarded as part of Syria under international law.
Colombia's new far-right president, Abelardo de la Espriella, announced plans to normalise relations with Israel and open a controversial embassy in Jerusalem last month.
Last week, the administration of Honduras' right-wing president, Nasry Asfura Zablah, also announced it had returned its ambassador to Israel, having withdrawn the representation amid the genocide in Gaza.
Zablah, along with the pro-Israel Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, is of Palestinian descent.
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