Israel And Venezuela Renew Consular Relations After 17 Years, Foreign Ministers Agree

Israel and Venezuela announced on Tuesday that they had renewed consular relations 17 years after diplomatic ties were severed between the two countries in 2009.

“resulted in an agreement to establish a coordination mechanism that will enable the provision of consular services to citizens of both countries”

The Times of Israel

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and Venezuelan counterpart Félix Plasencia agreed to renew consular ties after talks that "resulted in an agreement to establish a coordination mechanism that will enable the provision of consular services to citizens of both countries," Sa’ar’s office said.

Al Jazeera

The Times of Israel said the countries have not had any sort of diplomatic relations since 2009, while DW reported the announcement as taking place on 11.08.2026.

DW also said the joint communiqué stated that both sides agreed to "continuar su cooperación técnica bilateral derivada de las labores de respuesta a la emergencia y reconstrucción tras el doble terremoto" following the double earthquake.

The New Arab framed the shift as a dramatic change in Venezuela’s geopolitical alignment after it broke ties with Israel in 2009 over Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip.

Venezuela’s government said in a statement issued alongside Israel’s foreign ministry that "Both governments recognize the importance of the relationship between the State of Israel and the Jewish community in Venezuela, which constitutes an important historic bridge of friendship between the two countries," as The Times of Israel reported.

The New Arab added that Venezuela’s government said the deal followed an Israeli humanitarian delegation’s visit after deadly earthquakes in June and discussions among senior officials, with Venezuela’s government now led by Interim President Delcy Rodriguez.

Algemeiner

In a separate framing, TRT World said the renewal followed talks between Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar and Venezuelan Foreign Minister Felix Plasencia and noted that the two nations "have not maintained diplomatic relations since 2009."

The Jerusalem Post quoted Dr. Miguel Truzman, National Coordinator of the Confederation of Jewish Associations of Venezuela, writing that "Today, a new era begins, taking a first step in the Consular area," as the Jewish community in Venezuela celebrated the move.

The Media Line described the agreement as reopening a direct coordination channel after a 17-year freeze, following cooperation after Venezuela’s deadly June earthquakes.

The New Arab reported that on Monday Venezuela updated the toll from the quakes, putting the number of dead at 6,301 as rescue teams and family members continued to sift through the rubble in search of more victims.

“putting the number of dead at 6,301 as rescue teams and family members continued to sift through the rubble”

The New Arab

DW similarly said the measure came after Israel sent a June delegation of help and response to Venezuela after two devastators earthquakes that left more than 6,000 deaths.

The Times of Israel said the consular renewal was tied to continued bilateral technical cooperation stemming from emergency response and reconstruction efforts following the double earthquake in June.

The Jerusalem Post said the consular coordination process began with Israeli and Jewish organizations that came to Venezuela on the occasion of the double earthquake that struck the country on June 24, and it described the step as a confidence-building process.

The Media Line said the agreement did not amount to a full restoration of diplomatic relations, but established an official mechanism for direct cooperation after 17 years without formal ties.