Israel, Venezuela resume consular ties after 17 years

Israel and Venezuela have agreed to resume consular ties and establish an official coordination channel after 17 years without diplomatic relations, according to Agencia AJN.

The agreement was reached following talks between Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar and Venezuelan Foreign Minister Felix Plasencia, according to the media outlet.

The two sides agreed to establish a coordination mechanism to provide consular services to citizens of both countries.

The development comes amid efforts to address the needs of Venezuela's Jewish community.

Plasencia met Sunday in Caracas with Isaac Cohen, chief rabbi of the Israelite Association of Venezuela, who delivered a letter addressed to Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez that urged the restoration of diplomatic and consular relations with Israel.

The request aimed to address the needs of Venezuela's Jewish community, according to statements on the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry's social media accounts.

"Venezuela has historically welcomed an important Jewish community with open arms," said Plasencia, praising its contributions to the country's development.

The move restores a limited official channel between Caracas and Tel Aviv but does not amount to a full restoration of diplomatic relations, which were severed in 2009.

Venezuela under then-President Hugo Chavez broke diplomatic relations with Israel in January 2009, amid Israel's military offensive in the Gaza Strip. Chavez had been a vocal critic of Israel and maintained close ties with countries opposed to Israeli policies in the Middle East.

Relations remained severed under Chavez's successor, Nicolas Maduro, who has also maintained close ties with Iran and repeatedly criticized Israel's policies toward the Palestinians.

Israel assisted Venezuela following a June 24 earthquake, with a delegation sent in June helping tens of thousands of Venezuelans return to their homes, according to Agencia AJN.

The two countries agreed to continue cooperating on emergency response and recovery efforts following the quake.

Plasencia also expressed gratitude to the Israeli government and people for their assistance following the "double earthquake" that struck Venezuela on June 24.