The Venezuelan government of Delcy Rodríguez and the State of Israel announced on Tuesday the restoration of consular services between the two countries, ending 17 years of diplomatic rupture, according to El País.
The agreement, however, does not entail the restoration of full diplomatic relations: there will be no embassies or permanent representations, but rather an official coordination channel for consular services for citizens of each country residing in the other.
The Venezuelan chancellor Félix Plasencia issued the joint statement, in which both governments indicate that the agreement arises "following the discussions held between high officials from both sides" after the visit of the Israeli humanitarian delegation to Venezuela.
"The two governments recognize the importance of the relationship between the State of Israel and the Jewish community residing in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, which serves as an important bridge of historical friendship between the two countries," states the official text.
The catalyst for the rapprochement was the double earthquake that shook Venezuela on June 24, 2026, with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, which left over 6,000 dead according to official figures.
Israel was one of the first countries to respond to the disaster, sending 16 rescuers and collapsed structure specialists from organizations such as Magen, Ready for Rescue, and SmartAID.
Rodríguez publicly thanked for the Israeli assistance in July and met with military authorities from that country, to whom he awarded decorations, a gesture that drew criticism from the more radical sectors of chavismo.
The Israeli Foreign Minister, Gideon Saar, described the agreement as another "diplomatic success" and linked it to the recognition, just a day earlier, of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights by the new Colombian government of Abelardo de la Espriella, making Colombia the second country in the world to do so, following the United States in 2019.
The announcement contrasts sharply with the historical stance of chavismo. It was Hugo Chávez who severed relations with Israel in January 2009, in protest of Operation Cast Lead in Gaza, with a statement that circulated again on social media this Tuesday: “Cursed be you, State of Israel. Cursed be you! Terrorists and murderers.”
The diplomatic shift is part of the deep geopolitical reconfiguration that Venezuela is undergoing under the direct influence of Washington, following the capture of Nicolás Maduro on January 3, 2026.
In parallel with the rapprochement with Israel, the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry sent notes of protest to Iran —for years the main ally of chavismo— for "disparaging and inappropriate expressions about Venezuelan institutions and authorities," demanding "the cessation of any allusion or comparison that undermines the dignity, sovereignty, institutions, or good name" of the country.
The Iranian Foreign Minister, Abás Araqchi, had previously stated in an interview that Iran "is not Venezuela," seemingly referring to the operation through which the United States captured Maduro in a matter of hours.
Palestine maintains an embassy in Caracas, featuring murals and monuments in support of its cause as a legacy of Chavista politics, presenting a visible contrast to the new direction set by Rodríguez's government under the guidance of Washington.
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