Venezuela and Israel agreed on Tuesday to resume consular services for their respective citizens, ending a 17-year freeze in relations. Foreign ministers Gideon Saar and Félix Plasencia González announced the restoration of ties that had been severed in 2009 when then-president Hugo Chávez expelled the Israeli ambassador.
The diplomatic thaw follows Israel's deployment of a disaster response team to Venezuela after twin earthquakes in late June killed more than 6,000 people. Plasencia González said the humanitarian assistance prompted the decision to re-engage.
The move comes as Venezuela's government under Delcy Rodríguez has pursued closer ties with Washington following the capture of Nicolás Maduro. Regional momentum has also shifted: Chile and Honduras restored ambassadors to Israel last week, while Colombia's new president Abelardo de la Espriella recognised Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights upon taking office.