Nobel Winner Machado Pledges to Move Venezuela Embassy to Jerusalem

Venezuelan opposition figure and recent Nobel Peace Prize recipient Maria Corina Machado has pledged to move her country's Israeli embassy to Jerusalem should she be elected, marking a significant potential shift in diplomatic relations. In an interview with an Israeli broadcaster, Machado committed to a policy that would fundamentally alter Venezuela's stance toward Israel.

"I believe and I can announce that our government will move our Israeli embassy to Jerusalem," Machado stated during the interview. She further expressed a desire to build a strong bilateral relationship, adding, "I promise one day, we'll have a close relationship between Venezuela and Israel. That will be part of our support to the State of Israel." This announcement represents a stark departure from the current foreign policy trajectory.

This proposed embassy move would directly reverse the actions taken by the late President Hugo Chavez in 2009. Following the 2008-2009 Gaza War, Chavez's government severed all diplomatic ties with Israel and expelled the Israeli ambassador from Caracas. Machado's pledge is therefore seen as an effort to reset Venezuela's international alliances.

Machado's position aligns with her broader support for US policy in the region. In September, she publicly endorsed former US President Donald Trump's military expansion in the Caribbean, concurring with the view that current Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro poses a significant security threat. In a Fox News interview last month, she defended US actions, stating, "This is about saving lives," and described Maduro as the head of a "narco-terrorist structure."