Hailed as a voice for democracy, the opposition leader now faces scrutiny over ties to Israel’s Likud and her appeals for foreign intervention.
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who was awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for her fight to restore democracy in Venezuela, is now at the center of controversy over her past support for Israel and her calls for foreign intervention in her country.
The Nobel Committee hailed Machado as a “champion of peace” and a “key, unifying figure in a political opposition once divided.”
Committee Chair Jorgen Watne Frydnes said Machado’s courage had “kept the flame of democracy burning in Venezuela amid growing darkness.” He praised her for “remaining in the country despite serious threats against her life,” calling her a symbol of resistance to authoritarianism.
Criticism, however, quickly followed.
NDTV World reported Saturday that many pointed to Machado’s past statements backing Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, accusing her of supporting the genocide in Gaza.
In one resurfaced post, Machado wrote, “The struggle of Venezuela is the struggle of Israel,” later calling Israel a “genuine ally of freedom.”
Bjornar Moxnes, a Norwegian lawmaker, noted that Machado had signed a cooperation document with Likud in 2020, saying this “makes the award inconsistent with Nobel’s purpose.”
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) also condemned the selection, calling it an “unconscionable decision” that “undermines the Nobel Committee’s reputation.”
Machado has also been criticized for a 2018 letter to Israeli and Argentinian leaders urging support to “advance in the dismantling of the criminal Venezuelan regime.”
The backlash intensified after US President Donald Trump – whose administration earlier accused the Nobel Committee of “placing politics over peace,” as Trump promoted himself as deserving of the prize – said he was “happy for her” when Machado dedicated her award to him.
Picture: A file photo dated January 24, 2015 shows Venezuelan Opossition leader Maria Corina Machado delivers a speech during an anti-government protest in Caracas- Photo:Cristian Hernandez/ Anadolu Agency
