• Nobel laureate vows to reverse decades of hostility between Venezuela and Israel
• Speaking from 15-month isolation, Machado outlines plan to make Venezuela Israel’s strongest Latin American ally
• Promise follows 2020 cooperation pact between her party and Netanyahu’s Likud

CARACAS, VZ (TDR) — Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, speaking from hiding in an extensive interview published Saturday, pledged to make Venezuela “Israel’s closest ally in Latin America” if she comes to power, reversing decades of hostility that began under Hugo Chávez and intensified under Nicolás Maduro.

In an exclusive interview with Israel Hayom, the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize laureate revealed her strategy for Venezuela’s democratic transition while promising the country will relocate its embassy to Jerusalem and establish comprehensive ties with the Jewish state.

“Venezuela will be Israel’s closest ally in Latin America,” Machado said. “We rely on Israel’s support in dismantling Maduro’s crime regime and in the transition to democracy. Together we’ll lead a global struggle against crime and terror.”

Fifteen Months Underground

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Machado has lived in complete isolation for 15 months after the Maduro regime fabricated terrorism charges against her following the disputed July 2024 presidential election. More than 900 political prisoners remain locked in Venezuelan prisons, and thousands more have fled in recent months.

“If they find me, they’ll disappear me — that’s the best case,” Machado said. “Like thousands of other Venezuelans, I’m forced to hide.”

Despite the isolation, the 58-year-old opposition leader continues communicating daily with thousands of Venezuelans worldwide through technology, coordinating resistance efforts against the socialist regime.

The regime’s fury intensified after she won the Nobel Prize in October. Maduro called Machado a “demonic witch,” while Venezuela’s government announced plans to arrest her on sight.

Reversing Decades of Anti-Israel Policy

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Venezuela’s relationship with Israel collapsed under Chávez, who severed diplomatic relations during Operation Cast Lead in January 2009. The socialist leader accused Israel of “genocide against the Palestinian people” and compared its policies to Nazi conduct.

Maduro continued the anti-Israel trajectory with even greater intensity. Venezuela recognized Palestine in April 2009, established a Palestinian embassy in Caracas, and became one of Latin America’s most hostile nations toward Israel and Zionism.

The current regime has deepened ties with Iran, allowing Tehran to expand terror networks across the region and penetrate Venezuela’s military and security forces. Russia serves as the main weapons supplier, providing fighter jets, air defense systems, and establishing a Kalashnikov ammunition factory on Venezuelan soil.

Machado’s Vente Venezuela party formalized a cooperation pact with Israel’s Likud Party in 2020 “to forge an alliance between our two parties to cooperate on issues related to strategy, geopolitics and security, among others.”

Trump Connection Sparks Controversy

The Nobel laureate has positioned herself as a strong supporter of President Donald Trump‘s military campaign against Venezuelan drug cartels. She dedicated her Nobel Prize to Trump, prompting the president to say he was “happy for her.”

“He particularly deserves the prize because he’s the most consistent supporter of freedom and democracy in our hemisphere,” Machado said. “Maduro started this war, but we believe President Trump will finish it.”

Her alliance with Trump and support for U.S. military intervention drew criticism from multiple quarters. The Council on American-Islamic Relations condemned the Nobel selection as an “unconscionable decision,” citing her 2020 alliance with Likud and her February 2025 appearance at a European far-right conference that called for a new Reconquista.

Norwegian lawmaker Bjornar Moxnes argued the cooperation document with Likud “makes the award inconsistent with Nobel’s purpose.”

Opposition Unity Despite Suppression

Machado received 93% of votes in Venezuela’s 2023 opposition primary elections before the regime barred her from running. She then rallied support behind Edmundo González Urrutia, who opposition groups say won the July 2024 presidential election with over 70% of votes despite government-controlled tallies declaring Maduro victorious.

The disputed election sparked massive protests resulting in thousands of arrests. González now lives in exile in Spain, while Machado continues organizing resistance from underground.

“The Venezuelan people deeply admire Israel and will always defend its right to live in peace without threat to its existence,” she said, praising the nation’s “courage, innovation, and perseverance despite constant threats and attacks since its establishment.”

U.S. forces captured Maduro early Saturday morning during large-scale military strikes on Caracas, according to President Trump, potentially clearing a path for the opposition to take power.

Will Machado’s promised alliance with Israel strengthen Venezuela’s democratic transition, or further polarize the deeply divided nation?

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