Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, awarded Friday's Nobel Peace Prize, now confronts intensifying criticism over her party's 2020 cooperation agreement with Israel's Likud party and resurfaced social media posts from 2018-2021 endorsing Israel's Gaza military operations, Times of India reported.
Machado's selection received sharp criticism from the American Muslim lobby organization CAIR, which condemned the decision and claimed she is a "vocal supporter of the racist Likud party." The organization attacked her for participation in a conference of European politicians who, according to CAIR, called for a "new Reconquista" – a term describing the Christian victory over Muslims in the Iberian Peninsula – and demanded she withdraw her Likud support.
Machado's party, Vente Venezuela, signed a cooperation agreement with Likud in 2020, with Eli Vered Hazan, currently Israel's ambassador to Singapore, who then represented the party's foreign relations department. The document states both sides commit to "create an alliance between our two parties for cooperation on political, ideological and social issues, as well as to promote cooperation on issues related to strategy, geopolitics and security," with the goal being "to bring the people of Israel closer to the people of Venezuela while promoting the Western values to which both parties are committed: liberty, freedom and market economy."
"Today, all those who defend Western values stand with the State of Israel; a genuine ally of freedom," Machado stated in her 2021 X post. In 2018, she requested Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Argentine President Mauricio Macri to deploy "their influence" to "advance the dismantling of the criminal Venezuelan regime," according to Times of India.
Multiple media sources indicate Machado promised to transfer Venezuela's Tel Aviv embassy to Jerusalem upon election, with the opposition leader telling an Israeli broadcasting channel she would establish close bilateral ties, Times of India stated. "I believe and I can announce that our government will move our Israeli embassy to Jerusalem. I promise one day, we'll have a close relationship between Venezuela and Israel. That will be part of our support to the State of Israel," she stated.
In the past year, #NobelPeacePrize laureate Maria Corina Machado has been forced to live in hiding. Despite serious threats against her life she has remained in the country, a choice that has inspired millions of people.
When authoritarians seize power, it is crucial to… pic.twitter.com/GA3C7asz4Y
— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 10, 2025
Hugo Chavez's Venezuelan government severed diplomatic relations with Israel and expelled Tel Aviv's ambassador in 2009, responding to the 2008-2009 Gaza War, Times of India stated.
The opposition's 2023 primary election delivered Machado an overwhelming victory with large rally attendance, but a public office prohibition blocked her presidential candidacy against Nicolas Maduro in 2024, forcing her into concealment, Times of India noted.
Venezuela's electoral authority and supreme court claim Maduro secured an election victory without publishing comprehensive vote tallies, Times of India stated. Machado surfaced briefly for a January protest appearance before Maduro's inauguration, experiencing temporary arrest followed by release, according to Times of India and LiveNOW from FOX.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee granted Machado the prize following her nomination last year by a coalition including then-Senator Marco Rubio, currently serving as Trump's secretary of state, with the committee recognizing Machado "for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy," LiveNOW from FOX reported. Rubio previously characterized Machado as "the personification of resilience, tenacity, and patriotism," according to LiveNOW from FOX.
Tribute to Trump
The Venezuelan opposition figure transformed her Nobel recognition into a tribute for Trump, announcing she received the distinction "in his name and in the name of the Venezuelan people" while praising his democracy advocacy, LiveNOW from FOX reported. Campaign manager Magalli Meda confirmed Trump congratulated Machado during a Friday phone call following the Norwegian Nobel Committee's announcement, LiveNOW from FOX noted.
Trump catalogued his administration's 2025 peace initiatives during a White House appearance and spoke about Machado's victory, stating, "The person who actually got the Nobel Prize called me and said, 'I'm accepting this in honor of you because you really deserved it. I didn't say, 'Then give it to me,'" he continued, prompting laughter from advisers, according to LiveNOW from FOX. "I think she might have. She was very nice."
Friday's Nobel Peace Prize selection bypassed Trump despite Republican colleagues, multiple international leaders, and the president himself advocating for his recognition, LiveNOW from FOX reported.
