Nobel Peace Prize winner Machado voices support for IsraelMaría Corina Machado, Venezuela’s opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has publicly outlined plans to strengthen relations with Israel, including relocating Venezuela’s embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The pledge reflects a potential realignment of Caracas’s foreign policy away from the positions held by past administrations.
During an interview with an Israeli channel in October, Machado stated, “I promise one day, we’ll have a close relationship between Venezuela and Israel.” She has previously spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and described Israel as a strategic partner.
Machado’s stance has proven controversial, particularly due to her public praise of Israel’s genocide in Gaza. While critics argue it complicates her peace credentials, supporters say it underscores her rejection of authoritarian alliances and signals a new international direction for Venezuela if elected.
In 2009, Venezuela, under Hugo Chavez, severed diplomatic relations with Israel and expelled the Israeli ambassador in protest against the 2008-2009 Gaza War.
In September, Machado became a vocal advocate for US President Donald Trump’s military expansion in the Caribbean, sharing his view that Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro represents a significant security risk to the region.
“This is about saving lives,” she had said in an interview with Fox News following the US bombardment of suspected drug boats in the Caribbean.
"Not only Venezuelan lives, but also lives of American people, because as you have said, and we have heard, Maduro is the head of a narco-terrorist structure of cooperation," she said.
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