Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez speaks during a press conference addressing the government’s response to the back-to-back earthquakes in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Pedro Mattey) In June 2010, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez publicly accused Israel of sponsoring terrorism.
“I want to condemn from the bottom of my soul, from the bottom of my guts: Damn you, State of Israel! Damn you Terrorist and Assassins!”
Chavez’s words were not accidental. They are an integral part of the Venezuelan regime’s communist creed — an ideology shared by figures such as Delcy Rodríguez, the interim president who now offers blessings to the people and government of Israel.
The conversion of the Chavista regime began last January, following the capture and removal of Nicolas Maduro. In just six months, they have gone from celebrating the Iranian revolution to commemorating Passover.
In April of this year, Delcy Rodríguez sent a congratulatory message to Israel for Passover — one of the most important dates in its spiritual and cultural calendar.
“My call from Venezuela is for peace. My call from Venezuela is that all religions, in a country where there is freedom of worship, freedom of religion, all religions come together to foster understanding, coexistence in our homeland, and contribute to peace,” she said.
The Venezuelan dictatorship — which had been an ally of Tehran’s terrorist regime for more than 20 years — issued no high-level message and sent no official delegation to the funeral of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. A diplomatic slap in the face to the Persian theocratic government.
Another gesture to win the favor of Israel was the capture of Ali Zaki Jalil, identified as a Hezbollah agent accused of a terrorist attack. He had been a fugitive for 30 years but was finally extradited to Panama to face justice.
The Venezuelan regime also arrested and extradited Alex Saab. The high government official was the head of investments of Maduro and is being charged by the U.S. Justice Department with money laundering.
Saab was the architect of Venezuelan cooperation with Iran and Hezbollah. The diplomat and businessman is accused of providing Venezuelan passports to dozens of terrorists and securing millions of dollars for Iranian-backed groups. Oil and gold were the key resources used to hurt the people of Israel.
The Venezuelan regime also handed over the highly enriched uranium that had posed a security threat to the Americas and Israel for years. The U.S., in collaboration with Venezuela and the United Kingdom — with technical support from the International Atomic Energy Agency — successfully removed highly enriched uranium from Venezuela’s RV-1 research reactor.
Venezuela has gone further. Following the twin earthquakes of June 24, a team of military and humanitarian experts from Israel was authorized to arrive in the country and provide urgent assistance. Rodriguez said “we have received a highly professional and skilled team from Israel. They arrived through contact established by the Jewish community in Venezuela.”
In recent days, the Israel Defense Forces prepared and presented a national rehabilitation plan to Rodriguez and Venezuelan senior government officials. The IDF Home Front Command’s engineering teams continue to conduct structural assessments jointly with the local authorities, prioritizing high-rise residential buildings to enable as many residents as possible to return to their homes.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated in a video message to the Jewish delegation: “You are rebuilding ruins, and you are rebuilding relations. You are showing the people of Venezuela, as well as the government, the true face of the State of Israel.”
The tyranny in Caracas has altered its narrative and imagery, even scrubbing away the propaganda of Maduro associated with anti-American and antisemitic messages. They are willing to change everything so that nothing actually changes — even using the earthquake as an opportunity to bury democracy.
The Venezuelan interim government seeks closer ties with Israel out of convenience rather than conviction. They aim to gain legitimacy and support, and to open doors in influential places that only Tel Aviv could help them access.
While the interim president, her brother, Venezuelan National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez and Minister of Interior, Justice and Peace Diosdado Cabello continue their masquerade to deceive the international community, the people’s demands remain unchanged.
Those are: freedom for all political prisoners, the unhindered return of all Venezuelans to their homeland — including opposition leader María Corina Machado — and the holding of free, fair and transparent elections. Venezuela can only be rebuilt upon this firm foundation.
Arturo McFields is an exiled journalist, former Nicaraguan ambassador to the Organization of American States, and a former member of the Norwegian Peace Corps. He is an alumnus of the National Defense University’s Security and Defense Seminar and the Harvard Leadership course.
Add as preferred source on Google Tags Alex Saab Alex Saab Ali Khamenei Ali Khamenei Ali Zaki Jalil Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Benjamin Netanyahu Benjamin Netanyahu Delcy Rodriguez Diosdado Cabello Hezbollah Hugo Chavez Hugo Chavez Iranian revolutionary regime Israel Defense Forces (IDF) israel foreign policy Jorge Rodriguez Maria Corina Machado María Corina Machado Nicolas Maduro Nicolas Maduro Nicolas Maduro captue passover State of Israel US-Israel relations US-Venezuela relations venezuela government venezuela interim governmentCopyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Comments: Link copiedMore Opinions - International News
See All
Opinions - International Trump’s America has stopped apologizing for existing, and it made all the difference by Jay Rogers, opinion contributor 2 hours ago Opinions - International / 2 hours ago 
