Israel, Venezuela renew consular ties after 17 years of no diplomacy

Venezuela’s government said on Tuesday ​it has agreed with Israel to establish a coordination mechanism to enable ‌consular services, ‌a ​dramatic ‌shift ⁠in ​Venezuela’s geopolitical alignment ⁠after it broke relations with Israel in 2009. (Reuters/File)

• The move comes after Israel sent an aid and disaster response delegation to Venezuela following twin earthquakes

CARACAS: Israel and Venezuela announced on Tuesday that they had renewed consular relations 17 years after diplomatic ties were severed between the two countries.
The move comes after Israel sent an aid and disaster response delegation to Venezuela in June following devastating twin earthquakes that left thousands dead.
It also follows the United States' toppling of Venezuela's former leader Nicolas Maduro in a January military raid, with interim President Delcy Rodriguez now running the country under strong pressure from US President Donald Trump.
"Following talks held in recent weeks and days between Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar and Venezuelan Foreign Minister Felix Plasencia, Israel and Venezuela have agreed to renew consular relations," a statement from Israel's foreign ministry said.
"The talks resulted in an agreement to establish a coordination mechanism that will enable the provision of consular services to citizens of both countries," it added, noting the two nations "have not maintained diplomatic relations since 2009".
Venezuela, together with Bolivia, broke diplomatic ties with Israel in January 2009 a few days after the start of an Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip.
A joint statement by the governments of Israel and Venezuela on Tuesday said both recognised "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 historic friendship between the two countries".
It added that the two countries agreed to "continue their bilateral technical cooperation stemming from the emergency response and reconstruction efforts following the double earthquake."
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.