Venezuela, Israel restore consular services after 17 years

Venezuela and Israel have agreed to restore consular services after a 17-year break in diplomatic relations, Venezuela's foreign ministry announced Tuesday.

The two countries also agreed to maintain technical cooperation linked to emergency response and recovery after the double earthquake that struck Venezuela in June.

Israel's foreign ministry said Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar and Venezuelan Foreign Minister Felix Plasencia held talks in recent weeks and days that led to the agreement. A joint statement by the two governments said they recognised the importance of the relationship between Israel and the Jewish community in Venezuela.

Plasencia said on X that the countries had agreed to set up a coordination mechanism for providing consular services. He also said they would allow bilateral technical cooperation from the earthquake emergency and recovery efforts to continue.

Diplomatic relations were interrupted in January 2009, when then-President Hugo Chavez expelled the Israeli ambassador after an Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip. Israel sent humanitarian aid and rescue workers to Venezuela after the June earthquakes, which Venezuela has said killed 6,301 people.

Plasencia met Sunday with Isaac Cohen, chief rabbi of the Venezuelan Jewish Association, who called for diplomatic relations to be restored to address the needs of the Jewish community. The World Jewish Congress says about 6,000 Jews live in Venezuela.

The rapprochement comes under interim leader Delcy Rodriguez, who assumed power after the US capture of Nicolas Maduro in January. The source material says Rodriguez faces pressure from Washington and discontent from more radical wings of Chavismo.

On July 24, about 100 supporters of Maduro protested against rapprochement between Caracas and Washington and burned US and Israeli flags.