PM hails Israeli aid team for ‘rebuilding relations’ with Venezuela after 17 years of severed ties

Israel says delegation, which has been assisting in rescue and recovery efforts, has drawn up a national reconstruction plan that was approved by acting Venezuelan president

By Nava Freiberg

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Nava Freiberg is The Times of Israel's deputy diplomatic correspondent.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday hailed the Israeli delegation providing aid following the major earthquake in Venezuela, saying it was not only helping the country recover from last month’s devastating earthquakes, but also “rebuilding relations” with Caracas nearly two decades after it severed ties with Israel.

“You are rebuilding ruins, and you are also rebuilding relations. You are showing the people of Venezuela, as well as the Venezuelan government, the true face of the State of Israel,” Netanyahu said in a video message to the delegation’s head and chief of staff of the Home Front Command, Elad Edri, and Israel’s ambassador-designate to Mexico, Yoed Magen, who is leading the civilian component of the delegation.

The delegation has been operating in several earthquake-hit areas for the past 10 days at the request of the Venezuelan government, assessing and classifying damaged buildings and assisting with reconstruction efforts following the earthquakes that according to the latest tally killed at least 3,889.

Nearly 17,000 people were also injured in the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes on June 24, while almost 18,000 more lost their homes.

Following talks with Venezuela’s infrastructure minister, the Israeli team prepared a national reconstruction plan that was approved by Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, according to Israel.

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“What you are doing now is coming to a country that severed relations nearly 20 years ago, and you are proving how beneficial it is to have ties with Israel,” Netanyahu said.

Venezuela broke off diplomatic ties with Israel over the 2008-2009 war in Gaza, and under then-leader Hugo Chavez, it was one of the world’s most vocal critics of Israel during the war in Gaza that was sparked by Hamas’s October 7, 2023, terror invasion.

However, Israel has expressed hope for better ties with Caracas since the US captured Venezuela’s then-president Nicolas Maduro in January and supported Rodriguez taking power.

“We are very proud to represent the country here… We are operating here day and night together with the local government and the Venezuelan government’s Infrastructure Ministry. We have also connected here with the Jewish community,” Edri said in the video, adding that “both official representatives and the Venezuelan people have been very warm toward the delegation.”

Agencies contributed to this report.

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