February 11, 2026 | 09:08 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Venezuela sent its first shipment of crude oil to Israel in recent years, according to a Bloomberg report on Tuesday as reported by The Jerusalem Post. The shipment was carried out under a new international sales control and monitoring system implemented by the United States.
The shipment marks a renewal of contact between the Venezuelan and Israeli governments, since former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez severed ties in 2009 in protest of Israel's occupation of Palestine.
Bloomberg stated that the shipment in question would mark Venezuela's first oil sale to Israel since mid-2020.
This shipment follows the kidnapping of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, by the United States a month ago.
According to people familiar with the agreement, Israel's Bazan Group will be responsible for transporting the cargo.
The report also noted that the deal was not made public, in line with Israel's policy of not disclosing the sources of its crude oil imports.
The last shipment of oil from Venezuela to Israel consisted of 470,000 barrels, according to Kpler data shared by Bloomberg.
This move is claimed to be part of a broader process to restructure Venezuela's oil market.
Over the past few years, most of Venezuela's oil production has been shipped primarily to China. However, in recent weeks, sales to India, Spain, and the United States have been finalized, in addition to the recent shipment to Israel, reflecting a complete change in commercial strategy.
This new scenario has also reactivated the interest of major international companies in energy projects in the region.
British oil company BP confirmed that it is processing permits from the US government to continue development of the Manakin-Cocuina gas field, which is divided between Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela.
This authorization is necessary due to sanctions still in place against PDVSA, which operates on the Venezuelan side of the field.
This news comes after Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar met with Nobel laureate and Venezuelan right-wing leader María Corina Machado on February 4.
“María Corina Machado is a courageous woman, and her struggle is a source of inspiration for many people in Venezuela and abroad. We discussed developments in Venezuela since the historic US Operation ‘Absolute Resolve’, led by President Trump,” Sa'ar said.
"I wish the people of Venezuela that they may soon be able to choose their leadership in free elections, after the long years of repression under Maduro and Chávez," he claimed.
Machado responded, “Our country will be a reliable and stable partner for the world’s democracies and will offer major opportunities for investment and exchange. Venezuela’s reintegration into the democratic world will also allow us to build global alliances in the face of those who threaten our security.”
After Israel's attack on Gaza in 2008–2009, Venezuela severed all diplomatic ties with Israel and condemned its actions. On April 27, 2009, former Venezuelan Foreign Minister (and presidential candidate) Nicolás Maduro met with Palestinian National Authority Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki in Caracas, where formal diplomatic relations were established.
Read: Venezuela Opens Its Oil Sector to Private Investors
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