Caracas – In an interview over the weekend, “interim President” of Venezuela Juan Guaido promised he would work on restoring relations with Israel.

Despite not actually having a government or being in any type of official position of power within Venezuela Juan Guaido is still somehow making big promises. Last week it was the promise to sell oil he doesn’t control to the US and this week he is setting foreign policy for a state, a military, and a diplomatic core that he doesn’t have.

Regardless of Juan Guaido’s material position, Israel has been more than willing to indulge in the US fantasy in Venezuela and was one of the early states to recognize the fraud as “interim President.” Now it seems Guaido is more than willing to repay the favor should he ever actually hold office.

Guaido made this promise in a recent interview with the Israel Hayom newspaper where he told the interviewer that he was “very happy to announce that the process of stabilizing relations with Israel is in full swing.” While what exactly that means when you’re a President with no power is rather ambiguous, for some reason Guaido has said restoring relations “is very important for us.”

Regardless of all these factors, there are still several reasons the new President has made this a high priority. Even without any actual diplomatic staff recognized by the state, Guaidó has still been in contact with Israel and has even discussed opening a new Venezuelan embassy in Israel, saying it “is one of the subjects we are talking about.”

Another reason Guaidó claims he wants to restore relations with the Zionists is due to the fact that there “are many Venezuelans in Israel and many Jews in Venezuela.”

According to Guaidó, this Venezuelan Jewish community “is very active and prosperous” and have expressed to the president their hopes for renewed relations with Israel.

Guaidó says this Jewish community has a friend in him and he wishes to ‘restore their rights’ and has “no doubt that the Jews are afraid.” Now Guaidó has promised to protect this Jewish community should he ever take power.

Relations between Israel and Venezuela were cut off in 2009 under Hugo Chavez, the previous Venezuelan President and mentor of Nicolás Maduro. Chavez knew well that Israel is very active in Latin America in helping the US subvert democracy and didn’t wish to allow the Zionists a base of operations in his country.

Obviously, the reasons cited by Hugo Chavez to justify throwing the Zionists out of Venezuela is perfectly legitimate but this has been a sore point with Washington and imperial media for some time. US media considers the fact that Chavez expelled the Zionists and supported Palestine as proof of the anti-semitism inside the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV).

This is all totally ridiculous of course and the Chavistas chose to expel the Israelis in solidarity with Palestine against imperialism. This shift in foreign policy was framed as dangerous and the distrust of Zionism is said to be responsible for the “flight” of Venezuelan Jews to Israel.

But just how big is this important Jewish community?

Before Chavez, the total Jewish population in Venezuela was only estimated at about 22,000 out of over 30 million. Since Chavez took power that population has dwindled down to around 7,000 meaning there are about 15,000 Venezuelan Jews in Israel.

Supposedly restoring the Venezuelan embassy in Israel is very important, just not to more than about 20-30,000 people. Many Venezuelans still oppose any type of outside intervention in their country and it likely wouldn’t matter if it was US or Israeli soldiers but Guaidó is clearly more beholden to his foreign backers than he is to his own people.

With all that said, Guaidó still hopes Israel will invest more in regime change in his country. “Many Western countries have already committed to sending humanitarian aid to Venezuela,” he said adding that he is “confident that Israel will also help us.”

Since Israel is basically a US proxy this likely means Guaidó would like aid from them in the form of firearms like the ones Washington recently tried to smuggle in. Chavez made the correct choice in throwing out the Zionists and their agents of subversion, meaning the best hope for Venezuela to remain independent is for the Chavistas to uphold this legacy of anti-imperialism.

Filed under: American Lies, Latin America, Netanyahu, Trump, US Congress, US Foreign Policy, US Lies, USA, Wars for Israel | </s> Venezuela’s self-proclaimed leader Juan Guaido is working to re-establish diplomatic relations with Israel and isn’t ruling out placing his country’s embassy in Jerusalem, according to an interview with an Israeli newspaper published Tuesday.

Israel last month officially recognized the Venezuelan opposition leader’s interim government, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying in a short statement that “Israel joins the United States, Canada, most of the countries of Latin America and countries in Europe in recognizing the new leadership in Venezuela.”

The announcement earned immediate praise from US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, who hailed the Jewish state for “standing with the people of Venezuela and the forces of freedom and democracy.” US President Donald Trump’s administration has been pushing for the international community — including Israel — to back President Nicolas Maduro’s ouster.

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Venezuela’s then-president Hugo Chavez broke off ties with Israel in 2009 after Operation Cast Lead in Gaza. Chavez and his successor, Maduro, have both been strident critics of Israel, and some Jewish community leaders have expressed fears of the government stoking anti-Semitism.

On Tuesday, the Israel Hayom daily published a short interview with Guaido, who indicated that his government would take a very different stance toward the Jewish state from his predecessor.

“We have begun working toward renewing the ties, and I’m very happy to announce that the process of stabilizing the relations with Israel is at its height,” Guaido said.

“It is very important to us,” he continued. “First we’ll restore the relations, then we’ll announce the appointment of an ambassador to Israel, and we very much hope an envoy will come here from Israel.”

Contacted by The Times of Israel, the Foreign Ministry had no comment on the report.

Venezuela and Israel had strong bilateral relations since the Jewish state’s creation, and until 1980 maintained an embassy in Jerusalem. It was then relocated to Tel Aviv along with other diplomatic missions, and closed down in 2009.

Asked whether he would return Venezuela’s embassy to Jerusalem, where it sat until 1980, Guaido answered: “That is one of the issues we are discussing. In due time, I will declare the renewed ties and the placement of the embassy.”

Jerusalem was reportedly hesitant to throw its backing behind Guaido amid concerns the Maduro regime would respond with measures that could imperil members of the Venezuelan Jewish community.

While Venezuela once had one of the largest Jewish communities in the region, numbering some 25,000 in 1999, only about 6,000 Jews are believed to remain in the country, with many of the rest having fled to Israel, Canada, the US and elsewhere.

“There are many Venezuelans in Israel and many Jews in Venezuela,” Guaido said. “It is a very active and prosperous community, that has contributed a great deal to our society. I assume they are happy we are renewing ties with Israel.”

Venezuela’s chief rabbi Isaac Cohen earlier this month said his community “accepts” Israel’s recognition of Guaido’s claim to power.

Support for Maduro, a vitriolic critic of Israel, isn’t high among Venezuela’s middle-class Jewish community. But throughout the unrest, the Jewish community had kept to a line of strict neutrality.

Addressing the Jewish community’s hesitance to publicly support him, Guaido added: “I have no doubt the Jews are afraid. Many in the military are similarly afraid to voice their opinion. This regime has no respect for the most basic right: the right to live.

“Many Western countries have promised to send humanitarian aid to Venezuela. I’m sure Israel will also help us.”

Amid wild inflation and severe shortages in basic commodities under Maduro, a far-left socialist, protests erupted across Venezuela. Security forces responded with raids that have killed dozens of people.

Guaido’s move was the most direct challenge to Maduro’s rule despite years of protests at home and international efforts to isolate the regime amid a growing humanitarian crisis fueled by falling oil prices and government mismanagement.

Raphael Ahren, Times of Israel staff and AP contributed to this report. </s> Juan Guaido, Venezuela's self-declared president, has said he's working to restore ties with Israel, a decade after the country severed relations with Israel in solidarity with the Palestinians.

Guaido told Israeli newspaper Hayom daily on Tuesday: “I am very happy to report that the process of stabilising relations with Israel is at its height”.

“First we’ll restore the relations, then we’ll announce the appointment of an ambassador to Israel, and we very much hope an envoy will come here from Israel,” he said.

Guaido, who is backed by the United States, also said he was weighing whether to relocate Venezuela’s embassy to Jerusalem.

“I will declare the resumption of ties and the site of the embassy at the proper time,” he said.

The status of Jerusalem is one of the biggest obstacles to a peace agreement between Israel and Palestinians, who want East Jerusalem recognised as the capital of a future Palestinian state.

Israel regards all of Jerusalem as its capital, including the eastern sector that it annexed in 1967 in violation of international law. ‘Mossad are trying to kill me’

Last month, Israel joined the United States, the UK and a host of European countries in recognising Guaido as the interim president.

However President Nicolas Maduro, who won elections in 2018 with

67.7 percent of the vote, retains the support of state institutions including the military and Russia and China.

Guaido’s embassy announcement could mark a sharp shift in Venezuelan foreign policy, which has traditionally backed a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Under Hugo Chavez, Maduro’s predecessor, Venezuela cut ties with Israel over its actions in the 2008-2009 war in Gaza.

The 22-day land, naval and air bombardment saw more than 1,400 Palestinians killed, thousands injured, and massive damage to infrastructure, including homes, factories and schools.

At a rally in 2010 , Chavez also alleged that Israel was “financing the Venezuelan opposition” against him.

“There are even groups of Israeli terrorists, of the Mossad, who are after me trying to kill me,” he said.

Guaido has vowed that the opposition, which he has regalvanised after several years of infighting, would keep protesting against Maduro so new presidential elections could be held.

The opposition has been holding regular protests against Maduro and on Tuesday held a vigil demanding aid be let in.

Maduro’s government insists aid is not needed and that in reality, the US is trying to get its hands on Venezuela’s abundant oil reserves, replicating the US’s military interventions in Iraq and Libya.

In a separate development on Tuesday, Russia said it was ready to help resolve Venezuela’s crisis but warned the US against intervening in Caracas’ internal affairs. DM

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Guaido told Israel Hayom newspaper on Tuesday: "I am very happy to report that the process of stabilising relations with Israel is at its height."

"First we'll restore the relations, then we'll announce the appointment of an ambassador to Israel, and we very much hope an envoy will come here from Israel," he said.

Guaido, who is backed by the United States, also said he was weighing whether to relocate Venezuela's embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

"I will declare the resumption of ties and the site of the embassy at the proper time," he said.

The status of Jerusalem is one of the biggest obstacles to a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, who want East Jerusalem recognised as the capital of a future Palestinian state.

Israel regards all of Jerusalem as its capital, including the eastern sector that it annexed in 1967 in violation of international law.

'Mossad are trying to kill me'

Last month, Israel joined the US, the UK and a host of European countries in recognising Guaido as the interim president of Venezuela.

However, President Nicolas Maduro - who won elections in 2018 with 67.7 percent of the vote - retains the support of state institutions including the military and Russia and China.

Guaido's embassy announcement could mark a sharp shift in Venezuelan foreign policy, which has traditionally backed a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Under Hugo Chavez, Maduro's predecessor, Venezuela cut ties with Israel over its actions in the 2008-2009 war in Gaza.

The 22-day land, naval and air bombardment saw more than 1,400 Palestinians killed, thousands injured, and massive damage to infrastructure, including homes, factories and schools.

At a rally in 2010, Chavez also alleged that Israel was "financing the Venezuelan opposition" against him.

"There are even groups of Israeli terrorists, of the Mossad, who are after me trying to kill me," he said.

Guaido has vowed that the opposition, which he has regalvanised after several years of infighting, will keep protesting against Maduro until new presidential elections could be held.

The opposition has been holding regular protests and on Tuesday held a vigil demanding that aid being blocked by Maduro be let in.

Maduro's government insists aid is not needed and that the US is using it as an excuse to get its hands on Venezuela's abundant oil reserves, replicating the US's military interventions in Iraq and Libya.

In a separate development on Tuesday, Russia said it was ready to help resolve Venezuela's crisis but warned the US against intervening in Caracas's internal affairs. </s> Venezuela's self-declared leader Juan Guaido, who retains the backing of the U.S., vowed to switch the country's policy toward Israel that Caracas cut off a decade ago in solidarity with the Palestinians.

"I am very happy to report that the process of stabilizing relations with Israel is at its height," Guaido told the Israel Hayom daily in an interview.

A formal announcement on reestablishing ties and opening a new Venezuelan Embassy in Israel would come "at the proper time," he added.

However, he made no comments whether he would follow in President Donald Trump's footsteps with the move of the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem. In his most radical foreign policy position, Trump reversed longstanding U.S. policy and recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel last year.

Since 2009, Israel has had no representation in Venezuela after the former President Hugo Chavez broke diplomatic ties over Israel's Operation Cast Lead, a 22-day military assault on the Gaza Strip. Chavez then deported all Israelis from the country, including envoys from Jewish organizations. Since then, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has maintained the country's policy.

Amid the U.S.-Israeli campaign for overthrowing democratically-elected President Maduro, Guaido declared himself interim president on Jan. 23. The U.S., which has not ruled out a military intervention in crisis-wracked Venezuela, was the first to recognize Guaido as acting president. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israel now recognizes Guaido as Venezuela's official leader. Trump earlier warned he could use military force in Venezuela if Maduro does not hand over power. </s> Jerusalem - Venezuela's self-declared leader Juan Guaido he was working to restore ties with Israel that Caracas cut off a decade ago in solidarity with the Palestinians. Israel is among US-aligned powers that rallied to Guaido after he declared himself Venezuela's leader last month in a power struggle with socialist President Nicolas Maduro, under whom the country has sunk into poverty.

"I am very happy to report that the process of stabilising relations with Israel is at its height," Guaido told the mass-circulation Israel Hayom daily in an interview.

A formal announcement on re-establishing ties and opening a new Venezuelan embassy in Israel would come "at the proper time".

Maduro's precedessor, Hugo Chavez, shunned Israel over its 2008-2009 war in Gaza, and fostered ties with the Palestinians as well as with Israel's arch-foe Iran. Israeli leaders said Caracas' posture was prompting a flight of Venezuelan Jews.

"This (Jewish) community is very active and prosperous, one which has contributed greatly to our society," Guaido said in the interview.

Maduro, who retains the backing of Russia and China as well as control of state institutions including the military, casts Guaido's rise as a U.S.-orchestrated plot. Guaido says Maduro's reelection last year was a sham. </s> Venezuela's National Assembly head and self-proclaimed acting president Juan Guaido gestures while speaking to students at the Metropolitan University in Caracas, on February 11, 2019. (photo credit: YURI CORTEZ/AFP)

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Help us grow and continue telling Israel’s story to the world. </s> Thus says the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One, to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nation, the servant of rulers: “Kings shall see and arise; princes, and they shall prostrate themselves; because of the Lord, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you. Isaiah 49:7 (The Israel Bible™)

The Israeli embassy in Bogotá, Colombia criticised the government’s decision to grant formal recognition to a Palestinian state and said the move contradicted the good relations between the two countries. The embassy stressed that as a friendly government, Jerusalem would have expected to have been forewarned of a dramatic policy shift.

“This decision is in complete contradiction to the good relations between Israel and Colombia, and the close ties between the prime minister [Benjamin Netanyahu] and the new president of Colombia, Iván Duque… When we have a good relationship, we expect to be warned about decisions like this or changes in policy, so we were very surprised,” the embassy wrote in a statement.

The government of outgoing President Juan Manuel Santos decided to recognize “Palestine” on August 3. But the policy shift was only announced on August 8, after the inauguration of the new government. The foreign minister of the new government announced that the measure would be reconsidered.

Despite the back-and-forth policy, a local Spanish-language commentator on Latin American and Israeli affairs said the decision would have little impact, either on bilateral ties or on the international level.

“I don’t believe this decision will not have any implications on relations with Israel,” said Dr. Gustavo D. Perednik, a native of Buenos Aires, Argentina and the author of 15 books on Israel, Latin America and Jewish philosophy. “The new government is very friendly with Israel so it doesn’t really matter what the outgoing president said. Colombia will even probably move their embassy to Jerusalem, if Duque is asked to by President Trump.”

On a regional level, too, Perednik said the policy is not likely to signify a wide-spread policy shift. He noted that Bogotá was one of the last Latin American countries to recognise a Palestinian state, but added that Netanyahu’s trip to South and Central America last year was both the result of improving diplomatic and economic ties in recent years and contributed to continued expansion.

Netanyahu cancelled a scheduled trip to Colombia at the last minute last week, saying he wanted to oversee developments in the south in real time, particularly the visit of Saleh al-Arouri, the founding commander of Hamas’ Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades armed wing who is believed to be the organization’s commander in Judea and Samaria. The premier had been scheduled to attend the inauguration of incoming President Iván Duque and to hold meetings with several Latin American leaders. </s> Guaido, the man who need the US to be president

CARACAS – Carlos Vecchio, the representative of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó, reported that he officially requested support for the US Southern Command to advance strategic and operational planning.

“I write at the direction of the Interim president of Venezuela, Juan Guaido. We are grateful to the United States for its friendship, resolve and readiness to support our continued efforts to place Venezualan people first and look forward to fruitful planning and coordinaton. According, I respectfully request a meeting at United States Southern Command with appropriate members of the Guaido Administration,” Carlos Vecchio said on behalf of Juan Guaidó as Chargé d’Affaires of Venezuela in the USA.

He also published his letter to the head of the US Southern Command, Admiral Craig Falle, where he writes that the interim government thanks and receives US support and confirms our willingness to begin talks regarding the cooperation that had been offered by his command.

In addition, Vecchio called for a meeting between the US Southern Command and the appropriate members of President Guaido’s interim government.

The letter was sent on May 11. On the same day Guaidó stated that he instructed “our representative Carlos Vecchio to meet with the Southern Command to establish direct relations to achieve cooperation.”

“We instruct our representative Carlos Vecchio to meet with the Southern Command to establish direct relations to achieve cooperation,” said Guaidó.

Venezuela has dealt with a serious political crisis, with opposition leader Juan Guaidó proclaiming himself interim president of the country on January 23.

The US and several countries in Europe and Latin America, including Brazil, have recognized Guaidó as interim president of the country.

Russia, China, Cuba, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Turkey, Mexico, Iran and many other countries expressed their support for Maduro as the legitimate president and demanded that other countries respect the principle of non-interference in Venezuelan internal affairs.

However, the Bolivarian defense forces have pledged their loyalty to Maduro and are fully prepared to defend the country from a US military invasion.
Venezuelan disputed interim President Juan Guaidó states that he is working to restore ties with Israel, which were broken by Hugo Chávez's anti-Israeli policy, while also weighing whether to relocate the nation's embassy into Jerusalem.