Israel, Venezuela renew consular relations after 17 years

Israel and Venezuela agreed to restore consular relations and establish a coordination mechanism to handle services for their respective citizens, according to a joint announcement by both governments.

The arrangement followed discussions between Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar and Venezuelan Foreign Minister Félix Plasencia González. It marks the reopening of official coordination channels between the two countries, which had not maintained diplomatic ties since 2009.

As part of the agreement, the nations will continue technical cooperation on emergency response and reconstruction efforts in the wake of Venezuela's June earthquakes. An Israeli humanitarian delegation comprising Foreign Ministry officials and Israel Defense Forces Home Front Command personnel had provided assistance to Venezuelan authorities for several weeks following the disaster.

The deployment represented the Home Front Command's longest humanitarian assistance mission to date. The joint statement also noted Venezuela's Jewish community as representing "historic friendship" Between the two nations.