Venezuela, Israel agree to renew consular ties for 1st time in 17 years

Israel and Venezuela on Tuesday agreed to renew consular ties for the first time in 17 years, establishing a coordination mechanism to provide services for citizens.

The August 2026 agreement follows talks between Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar and Venezuelan counterpart Félix Plasencia, coming after a major political transition and humanitarian cooperation following June earthquakes. Venezuela broke formal diplomatic relations with Israel in January 2009 under former President Hugo Chávez due to military operations in Gaza.