After Abelardo de la Espriella took office as Colombia’s president on August 7, the Bogotá administration took diplomatic and economic steps to rebuild relations with Israel. De la Espriella recognized Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Syrian territory of the Golan Heights.
Colombia thus became the second country after the United States to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. Experts said the decision violated international law, United Nations Security Council resolutions and the UN Charter.
Bogotá will reopen its embassy in Jerusalem
Fulfilling a campaign pledge, De la Espriella announced in a video message that Colombia would reopen its embassy in Jerusalem. Israel considers Jerusalem its capital, but the city’s status is disputed, and most countries do not recognize Israeli sovereignty over the entirety of Jerusalem.
The administration also froze a separate plan launched by former President Gustavo Petro in October 2023 to open an embassy in Palestine. The Colombian government said the mission had never become operational.
Colombia recognized Palestine as a free, independent and sovereign state in August 2018. The decision came before the new wave of recognition by Western countries that began with Spain, Ireland and Norway in 2024 and continued with France and the United Kingdom in 2025.
Economic ties with Israel expand
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the decision on the Golan Heights in a video message and thanked De la Espriella. Colombia appointed Tania Gilinski as its ambassador to Israel, while Israel appointed Vivian Aisen as its representative to Colombia.
Mutual visa-free travel for citizens of the two countries will take effect on September 1. The Colombia-Israel Binational Economic Commission has also been established, and a Colombian delegation is scheduled to visit Israel in October.
The Bogotá administration took steps to resume coal exports to Israel, which had been halted under Petro. The De la Espriella government also began the process of withdrawing from Colombia’s earlier intervention in South Africa’s application before the International Court of Justice in connection with the genocide case over Gaza.
Experts point to alignment with Washington
Arlene Beth Tickner, a former Colombian representative to the UN and ambassador, said the main aim of the policy change was to demonstrate loyalty and closeness to the US government rather than to Israel. Glaeldys Gonzalez, a Colombia expert at the International Crisis Group, said describing the change as a complete transformation could exaggerate the situation.
Gonzalez said De la Espriella’s approach was influenced by the leader’s ideological affinity based on his defense of “Judeo-Christian values” and by a security agenda focused on combating drug trafficking. Israel and the United States are viewed as partners in the military campaign against armed groups and drug gangs.
Gonzalez said military equipment and security technologies could become prominent under the renewed relationship. She said air defense systems and artificial intelligence applications could be discussed, particularly in response to the growing use of drones by armed and criminal organizations. She also viewed recognition of the Golan Heights as part of Colombia’s broader alignment with Washington’s foreign policy.
Mariano Aguirre Ernst, an expert at Chatham House, said the speed of the decision indicated alignment with the Trump administration and sent a message to conservative political circles, the private sector and the military in Colombia. Ernst described the development as the rebuilding of political, commercial, military and intelligence ties that had become more complicated during the Petro era.
Legitimacy and economic interests for Israel
Daniel Wajner, a faculty member at the Hebrew University, said another country’s recognition of Israeli sovereignty carried practical as well as symbolic weight. Wajner said Colombia viewed Tel Aviv as a bridge in its effort to move closer to Washington and that the approach recalled the line pursued during Álvaro Uribe’s presidency in the 2000s.
Wajner said the Israeli government wanted to show that it could maintain relations with countries around the world at a time when it faced criticism, boycotts and sanctions. Tickner argued that relations with Israel could be intended to offset the reputational damage caused by its actions in Gaza and the occupied territories.
Experts said Israel’s strategy in Latin America had a long history based on military cooperation, intelligence and the sale of cybersecurity technologies. This cooperation has also included support used in the past by Colombia’s security forces in their fight against leftist guerrilla groups such as the FARC and ELN.
Criticism of the Golan decision
Tickner described the decision on the Golan Heights as a clear violation of international law. She warned that, contrary to the reputational gains De la Espriella was seeking, the move could cause serious harm to Colombia and its interests.
Tickner said expanding security cooperation could draw Colombia into US joint operations involving Israel and increase the US-Israeli military presence in the region.
On the day the decision was announced, a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck Colombia. Hundreds of people were killed and thousands were injured. Experts said the development shifted public attention from foreign policy to rescue efforts.
Ernst interpreted De la Espriella’s approach as part of a broader political line used by far-right governments in the United States and Europe. Gonzalez and Ernst expect relations between Colombia and Israel to return to their traditional course.
Ernst also described Petro’s break with Israel as an exception unlikely to be repeated unless the country turns toward the left again in the future.
