Nobel Peace Prize winner Machado told Netanyahu she appreciates Israel’s achievements in war, PM’s office says

17 October 2025, 6:03 pm

1 Edit

Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado waves from atop a truck during the closing election campaign rally for presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez in Caracas, Venezuela, July 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix, File)

Newly crowned Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that she greatly appreciates his decisions and decisive actions in the war, and Israel’s achievements, according to a statement from the premier’s office.

The statement says the Venezuelan opposition leader called Netanyahu and told him that she was pleased there was an agreement to secure the release of the hostages, the Prime Minister’s Office says.

According to the statement, Machado also said she understood Israel’s struggle against the Iranian axis of evil, which she apparently noted was working against both Israel and the people of Venezuela.

Netanyahu congratulated Machado on winning the Nobel Peace Prize and praised his work to promote democracy and world peace, the statement says.

There is no statement from Machado on the call or its contents.

In an interview published earlier this week, Machado said she believes US President Donald Trump deserves to win next year’s prize.

Machado, a former presidential candidate, was announced as the winner of the prestigious award last week, dashing Trump’s hopes of snagging the vaunted prize after securing the first phase of a hostage and ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.