Venezuela and Israel have agreed to restore consular services and maintain bilateral technical cooperation, Venezuela's Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday, August 11. The agreement marks a significant step toward normalizing relations that were severed in 2009.
Diplomatic ties between the two countries were broken in January 2009 when then President Hugo Chávez expelled the Israeli ambassador following an Israeli military attack on the Gaza Strip.
Earthquake response and cooperation
Despite their estrangement, the Israeli government sent humanitarian aid and rescue teams to Venezuela after destructive earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 on the Richter scale hit the country in June.
Foreign Minister Félix Plasencia said in a statement that both countries agreed to allow the continuation of bilateral technical cooperation resulting from emergency response and recovery efforts after the double earthquake. Plasencia added that they agreed to establish a coordination mechanism to provide consular services.
Last weekend, Plasencia met with Isaac Cohen, chief rabbi of the Israelite Association of Venezuela, who requested the restoration of diplomatic ties to meet the needs of the country's Jewish community. According to the World Jewish Congress, about 6,000 Jews live in Venezuela.
Political context and backlash
The diplomatic rapprochement comes under the interim government of Delcy Rodríguez, who took power after the United States abducted and arrested Nicolás Maduro in January. Rodríguez is currently governing under strong pressure from Washington.
The governments of Chávez and his successor Maduro previously expressed rejection of Israel and recognized Palestine as a legitimate state. In a 2010 speech broadcast on radio and television, Chávez cursed the state of Israel. Venezuela also strengthened ties with Iran under Chávez and Maduro through oil agreements while both countries faced U.S. sanctions.
Rodríguez is beginning to face discontent from more radical wings of Chavismo, the leftist populist and socialist movement built on Chávez's ideas. On July 24, about 100 Maduro supporters protested against the rapprochement between Caracas and Washington, destroying U.S. and Israeli flags.
