Israeli-Argentine businessman freed after year in Venezuelan prison recounts harsh conditions

Yaakov Harari, a 72-year-old Israeli Argentinean businessman, returned to Israel on Tuesday after being released from prison in Venezuela. The Venezuelan Maduro regime sentenced Harari to 25 years in prison after accusing him of being a “mercenary” based on images in his mobile phone. Harari, who denied the allegation, was released after a year in prison and recalled the harsh conditions in Venezuela, stressing that he was convinced his family and the Israeli state would eventually secure his release.

I believed all along that I would come home,” Harari told the Israeli news outlet Ynet News. “I knew my daughters were working for my release and that the state would not forget me."

Harari, a native Spanish speaker, conducted business across South and Central America. In October 2024, he was arrested by Venezuelan authorities, effectively cutting off all contact with his family. He was held in the harsh El Rodeo prison, where he was denied formal legal process and had only limited access to medical care.

“I have no connection to security matters,” Harari stated. “I’m a 72‑year‑old man with health issues who takes medication. I’m not a mercenary, just a simple businessman."

Harari revealed that the conditions in the prison were so harsh that several of the inmates in his cellblock committed suicide. 

Moshe Shitrit, the deputy mayor the Israeli city Be’er Sheva where Harari resides, revealed that the Israeli businessman was subjected to antisemitism during his time in the Venezuelan prison. 

“Guards accused him of being a mercenary and claimed he came from a country of child killers,” Shitrit said. “One guard even celebrated with him, saying Iranians had shot down five Israeli planes, which of course never happened,” he added, referring to the war between Israel and Iran in June 2025. 

Shitrit praised Harari’s mental resilience. 

“Psychologically, he was very tough and resilient,” he assessed. The Israeli mayor revealed that Israeli officials feared that Harari would be harmed in the Venezuelan prison. 

“From the start, we worked quietly because we feared he could be harmed,” Shitrit explained. “We had no contact with him; all communication came through other released prisoners or representatives of foreign governments active in Venezuela."

Venezuela and Israel currently do not have any official relations. The Venezuelan regime has close ties with the Islamic Republic of Iran and has embraced hostility toward Israel and the Jewish people. Following the U.S. recent capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodriguez claimed that the capture had “Zionist undertones.” 

Harari regretted that he had travelled to Venezuela but made a distinction between the Venezuelan people and the regime. 

“There are good people in Venezuela, and I regret that I went there. I hope that when there is a change of government the country will thrive,” Harari said. 

Meanwhile, Venezuela’s small and embattled Jewish community hopes that the capture of Maduro marks the beginning of better times in the South American country. 

“Everyone is very happy about the news, but they have to be very cautious,” explained Daniel Behar, a Venezuelan Jewish expat living in Israel. “There is fear that the entire community might face repercussions later on."