Nobel Peace Prize Winner Maria Corina Machado Faces Backlash Over Israel Support and Intervention Calls

A controversy has emerged following Venezuelan democracy activist Maria Corina Machado's selection as the Nobel Peace Prize recipient for 2025. Critics have raised concerns about her support for Israel during the Gaza bombing campaign and her previous calls for foreign intervention to remove Venezuela's government.

Machado has established herself as a prominent figure in Venezuela's pro-democracy movement, becoming a powerful symbol of civilian courage. The Nobel Prize Committee announced her as the Peace Laureate for her dedication to promoting democracy and opposing dictatorship in Venezuela.

Shortly after the announcement, the White House criticized the decision for "placing politics over peace," following an unsuccessful campaign to portray President Donald Trump as a global peacemaker who resolved multiple international conflicts.

Machado subsequently dedicated her Nobel Prize to Trump, and the US President expressed happiness for her achievement.

The Nobel Prize Committee praised Machado as a "champion of peace" who has maintained democracy's flame in Venezuela during challenging times. Jorgen Watne Frydnes, the committee's chair, described her as a "key, unifying figure in a political opposition" that was previously divided.

The Committee commended the Peace laureate for demonstrating that democratic tools are also peace tools, recognizing her for embodying hope for a different future where citizens' fundamental rights are protected and their voices heard.

"In the past year, 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. When authoritarians seize power, it is crucial to recognise courageous defenders of freedom who rise and resist," Frydnes stated during his announcement.

Critics have been sharing Machado's previous posts showing support for Israel and Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party, accusing her of supporting what they term the "genocide" in Gaza.

While she expressed solidarity with Israel after Hamas's October 7, 2023 surprise attack, she never explicitly voiced support for Palestinian casualties. However, her history of posts confirms her alliance with Netanyahu.

Among the criticized posts being highlighted is one where she stated, "The struggle of Venezuela is the struggle of Israel." Two years later, she described Israel as a "genuine ally of freedom." Machado had also pledged to relocate the Venezuelan embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem if she gained power.

Norwegian lawmaker Bjornar Moxnes pointed out that Machado signed a cooperation document with Israel's Likud party in 2020, arguing that since the Likud party is responsible for what he terms the "Gaza genocide," the award contradicts Nobel's intended purpose.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a US-based Muslim civil rights organization, condemned the "unconscionable decision" to award her this honor. They suggested the Nobel Committee reconsider its decision, claiming it damages the organization's reputation.

"The Nobel Peace Prize committee should instead recognize an honoree who has shown moral consistency by bravely pursuing justice for all people, such as one of the students, journalists, activists, medical professionals who have risked their careers and even their lives to oppose the crime of our time: the genocide in Gaza," the organization stated.

Machado is also receiving criticism for calling for foreign intervention against Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro's regime. In 2018, she wrote a letter seeking support from Israel and Argentina for regime change in Venezuela.

She shared this letter online, stating, "Today, I am sending a letter to @mauriciomacri, President of Argentina, and to @netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel, to ask them to apply their strength and influence to advance in the dismantling of the criminal Venezuelan regime, intimately linked to drug trafficking and terrorism."