Nobel Peace Prize winner, Maria Corina Machado under fire; her old posts create huge controversy because…
Critics are targeting Machado by sharing old posts.
New Delhi: Venezuelan democracy advocate Maria Corina Machado was announced to be awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize on October 10. However, the award itself has sparked controversy. Critics have alleged that Machado has made statements supporting Israel and its bombing of Gaza and has also called for foreign intervention to change her country’s government.
Committee’s appreciation of Machado
Machado is a Venezuelan democracy activist. In recent years, she has emerged as a powerful symbol of civilian power. The Nobel Prize Committee awarded her the Peace Prize for her contributions to promoting democracy and fighting dictatorship in Venezuela. Within hours of the announcement, the White House criticised her, saying the Nobel Committee had prioritised “prioritising the cause over peace.”
The Nobel Prize Committee has praised Maria Corina Machado as a “champion of peace.” According to the committee, she kept the torch of democracy burning in Venezuela, even as the country’s darkness grew. Committee Chairman Jörgen Watne Friednes described her as a prominent and unifying figure in Venezuela’s once-divided political opposition.
Machado’s old social media posts
Critics are targeting Machado by sharing old posts in which she supported Israel and Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party. After the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, she expressed solidarity with Israel, but never explicitly supported the killing of Palestinians. Her years-old posts confirm her ties to Netanyahu. In some of the posts criticised, Machado wrote, “Venezuela’s struggle is like Israel’s struggle.” Two years later, she called Israel “a true ally of freedom.” Machado even promised to move Venezuela’s embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem if she came to power.
Calling for foreign intervention
Machado has also faced criticism for seeking foreign intervention in her campaign against the regime of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. In a 2018 letter, she sought support from Israel and Argentina for regime change in her country.
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