Venezuelan Vice President and Communications Minister Miguel Ángel Pérez Pirela denied on Tuesday that crude oil had been shipped to Israel, after several media outlets reported the story, citing Bloomberg, amid a context in which the country has shown signs of opening up to foreign capital through oil sales.
On Telegram, Pirela shared an image of the Bloomberg headline with a red sign that reads “fake,” without adding any further comment.
According to Bloomberg, the shipment was transported by the Israeli conglomerate Bazan Group and was the first shipment from Venezuela to Israel “in years,” a country with which it severed diplomatic relations in 2009.
Since the late President Hugo Chávez severed diplomatic relations with Israel during Operation Cast Lead in Gaza (2008-2009), Venezuela has become one of the most vocal critics of Israeli policies toward the Palestinians and in foreign affairs within the Middle East region.
Meanwhile, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has repeatedly expressed support for the Israeli genocidal aggression against Gaza and has even mentioned her intention to establish an embassy in Jerusalem if she comes to power with the blessing of U.S. President Donald Trump.
[ SOURCE: telSUR / EFE ]
