Venezuela’s chief rabbi asks President Rodríguez to restore ties with Israel

Venezuela’s Chief Rabbi Isaac Cohen has delivered a letter to President Delcy Rodríguez asking her to restore diplomatic and consular relations with Israel, the country’s foreign ministry said yesterday.

Venezuela’s Foreign Minister Félix Plasencia González says on social media that he received the letter during a meeting with Cohen. The letter calls for the renewal of ties between the two countries, saying the move is needed to address the needs of the country’s Jewish community.

Venezuela severed diplomatic relations with Israel in 2009 under then-president Hugo Chávez, amid deteriorating relations between Chávez’s government and Israel. The two countries have not maintained formal diplomatic ties since.

But since Rodríguez was installed as the country’s president after the United States captured the previous leader, Nicolás Maduro, in January, officials have sharply changed their tone regarding the Jewish state, community leaders have said.

Ties have also warmed since Israel sent humanitarian assistance following a double earthquake that struck Venezuela on June 24.

Plasencia González praises Venezuela’s Jewish community, saying the country has historically welcomed Jews whose contributions have helped the nation’s development.

“Venezuela has historically welcomed, with open arms, an important Jewish community, whose contributions have contributed and continue to contribute to the well-being and development of our nation,” he says.

????#Diplomacia | Rabino principal de la Asociación Israelita de Venezuela, Isaac Cohen, entregó carta solicitando a la presidenta Delcy Rodríguez considerar el restablecimiento de las relaciones diplomáticas entre Venezuela e Israelhttps://t.co/OfwzqiR36L pic.twitter.com/6U2eHoN7Md

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