Former Israeli Ambassador To The U.S.- U.S. Coup In Venezuela Was, 'Great News For Israel'.

Michael Oren Says The Quiet Part Out Loud About The Coup In Venezuela.

The former Israeli ambassador to the United States from 2009-2013, Michael Oren, who was also a former member of the Knesset for the Kulanu party and a former Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, recently wrote an article for the Hebrew version of the Israeli newspaper Ynet where he boasted that Trump’s recent coup in Venezuela was great for Israel.

In the article, Oren writes, “President Trump’s bold action to capture the dictator of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro in downtown Caracas and his airlift to prison in America is extraordinary news for the democratic world and especially for Israel.”

The two main reasons he gives were that Maduro was an anti-Zionist and that he was allied with Iran.

Oren boasted that the coup against Maduro meant “the fall of another vehemently anti-Zionist dictator”, and boasted that the coup against Maduro would be “a reduction in the anti-Zionist influence in the region.”

For context, Israel has taken a greater interest in South America as of late, hoping to prop up pro-Israel governments and overthrow those critical of Israel.

This in part is through the “Issac Accords,”an initiative launched by Argentina’s pro- Israel president Javier Milei, which seeks to , “strengthen political, economic and cultural cooperation between Israel and Latin America.”

Co-Founder of the pro-Israel Genesis Prize Foundation, Stan Polovets along with the former U.S. Ambassador to Costa Rica, S. Fitzerald Haney , who launched the American Friends of Isaac Accords funded by Israel lobby groups such as Israel Innovation Network, Israel Allies Foundation, StandWithUs, Yalla Israel and The Philos Project explained that the goal behind the Issac Accords was to get South American states to agree to:

-a new free-trade deal (with Israel)

-support embassy relocation to Jerusalem

-an official declaration of Hamas and Hezbollah as terrorist groups

-and the adoption of the IHRA antisemitism definition

They explained that the goal is to replace anti-Zionist governments in South America with right wing pro-Israel ones, citing the example of Bolivia, saying, “We’re also watching Bolivia, where the recent election of Rodrigo Paz as president could open a new chapter in bilateral relations after two decades of socialist rule. In phase two, we’ll likely expand to Paraguay, Guatemala, and Honduras, which are already friendly to Israel but can move even closer”.

The Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom reported that Israel wanted regime change in Venezuela because:

Since Hugo Chávez’s rise to power, Venezuela has become one of the most hostile countries to Israel and Zionism in Latin America. Chávez… severed diplomatic relations with Israel during Operation Cast Lead in 2009, accused Israel of “genocide against the Palestinian people” and compared its policies to Nazi conduct.

His successor (Maduro) continued the anti-Israeli line with even more intensity. Thus, Venezuela, which previously maintained warm relations with Israel and even purchased security technologies from it, became a center of hostile propaganda toward Zionism and the Jewish state, as part of its aspiration to define itself as the spearhead of the anti-Western and anti-American camp.

The paper noted that U.S./Israel opposition puppet, Maria Corina Machado, on the other hand, supported many of the demands associated with the “Issac Accords”, writing, “Machado promises to change her country’s attitude toward Israel from one extreme to another, and doesn’t hide her sympathy toward us. In recent years, she spoke about her intention to establish Venezuela’s embassy location in Jerusalem and stood with the Jewish state after the October 7 massacre, while Maduro supported Hamas.”

The other reason Michael Oren gave for Israeli support behind the Venezuela coup was the hope that it would lead to a war with Iran.

Oren wrote, “Maduro was a staunch ally of Tehran and abettor of Iranian-backed terrorism,” adding, “two days before the raid in Caracas, Trump promised to intervene forcefully to protect Iranian protesters against the regime. The ayatollahs have no doubt that as long as Trump remains in the White House, their days of hegemony in the Middle East - and perhaps even their rule are over”.

He added, “This is all great news for Israel,” adding, “The fall of Maduro in Venezuela could well be the restoration of the Pax Americana in the Middle East.”

For context, Israel and the United States tried and failed to effect regime change in Iran last June.

While the Iran bombing was done under the pretext of destroying Nuclear Facilities, Trump’s own Director of National Intelligence report wrote, “We continue to assess Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and that Khamenei has not reauthorized the nuclear weapons program he suspended in 2003” and Benjamin Netanyahu privately said the real goal behind the bombing was “to assassinate Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and destabilize Tehran’s regime”.

Furthermore, during the bombing, Israel tried and failed to use social media to incite violent regime change on the ground to be carried out alongside the bombing, similar to the 2011 NATO regime change operation in Libya.

The University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab uncovered a covert online bot network run by Israeli Intelligence, that -during the June bombing- created accounts in Persian to “advance a narrative of regime change in Iran”.

During the bombing, the Israeli-run accounts:

-were sharing images and videos of alleged civil unrest and instability in Iran

-told followers to head to ATMs to withdraw money, emphasized that the Islamic Republic was ‘stealing our money to escape with its officials,’ and urged followers to rise up against the regime

-urged followers to get on their balconies at 8 p.m. each evening and shout ‘Death to Khamenei

-appeared to make another push to trigger unrest by questioning the ceasefire

Similarly, Israel is apparently attempting to trigger unrest in Iran, in hopes of carrying out regime change during the next Israeli/American bombing.

Journalist Robert Inlakesh reported that during a peaceful protest in Iran against “mismanagement of the economy, which has led to a deepening of the ongoing inflation crisis in the country”, “Israeli and Iranian opposition accounts across social media began pushing old videos of riots to claim that a major uprising was occurring”.

Journalist Séamus Malekafzali noted that at the same time, “Israeli opposition leader Naftali Bennett, who has oftentimes encouraged Netanyahu to be even more confrontational on the regional stage, sent out a video, spoken in English but subtitled in Farsi, encouraging ‘each and every’ Iranian to go out and create a ‘better Middle East,’ and saying ‘all the nations of the free world’ stand with them.”

At the same time, as Inlakesh reported, “the situation suddenly deteriorated when armed agitators opened fire on security forces and attempted to storm government buildings, armories, and police stations. On January 1, two Iranian police officers were murdered, and three rioters were also reportedly shot dead” noting that, “a new wave of violent attacks on security forces occurred, along with an attempt to storm another armory in Marvdasht. Other incidents included lone arsonists setting fire to cars in Qom, as well as armed attacks and small groups of violent agents throwing stones at police officers”.

Inlakesh noted that “all the major unions that had originally supported the peaceful protests issued statements denouncing the wave of unrest and riots”.

The violent infiltration has apparently been backed by the Israeli Mossad.

As Séamus Malekafzali reported:

Israel’s Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli further called on Israel to “back [the protesters] up” and said the “support of the State of Israel is also important” to guarantee the success of the movement. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who forged a close relationship with Netanyahu, went even further, posting on X, “Happy New Year to every Iranian in the streets. Also, to every Mossad agent walking beside them.”

The Mossad, Israel’s foreign intelligence service, for its part, publicly claimed it was already operating within the protests, stating the day after protests began on December 29, “Let’s come out to the streets together. The time has come. We are with you. Not just from afar and verbally. We are with you in the field as well.”

Iran has also said it has arrested a Mossad agent infiltrating the protest , who they allege “was instructed by Mossad handlers to go to people’s residences, but was later instructed to move his ‘operations’ to local marketplaces”.

At the same time, the Mossad and Mike Pompeo have publicized the alleged Mossad involvement in the protests in hopes that it will cause a harsher crackdown, leading to more violence.

This will serve two purposes, first to justify the next American/Israeli bombing with Trump saying, “If Iran shots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue. We are locked and loaded and ready to go” and second to create a force willing to carry out regime change during the next bombing, as Israel tired and failed to do during the first.

According to Michael Oren, Trump’s war against Venezuela was helpful in isolating Iran for this broader Israeli regime change goal.

Michael Oren ended his article by thanking Trump for his support of Israel and his willingness to carry out wars that benefit Israel’s goals, saying, “As in last summer’s war with Iran, Trump has again proven his determination to stand up to the isolationists in his own party and to protect American power abroad. I have long said that Israel is better off with a president who is critical of us but is willing to project power than with a president who supports us but refrains from using force. Trump both backs us and flexes American muscle worldwide.”

---

Note to readers: The Dissident is a reader-supported outlet. If you liked this article, consider becoming a paid subscriber.