Shortly after Abelardo de la Espriella took office as Colombia’s president on Aug. 7, his administration took steps to rebuild ties with Israel. As part of this effort, De la Espriella recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, Syrian territory under occupation.
Colombia thus became the second country after the United States to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. The decision was described as conflicting with international law, United Nations Security Council resolutions and the U.N. Charter.
Embassy in Jerusalem to reopen
De la Espriella announced in a video message that Colombia would reopen its embassy in Jerusalem, fulfilling a pledge he made during his election campaign. Israel considers Jerusalem its capital, but the city’s status is disputed. Most countries do not recognize Israeli sovereignty over all 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 administration said the representation had never become operational.
Colombia recognized Palestine in August 2018 as a free, independent and sovereign state. The decision came before a new wave of recognitions by Western countries that began with Spain, Ireland and Norway in 2024 and continued with France and the United Kingdom in 2025.
Diplomatic and economic ties with Israel expand
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the Golan Heights decision in a video message and thanked De la Espriella. The Colombian administration appointed Tania Gilinski as ambassador to Israel, while Israel appointed Vivian Aisen as its representative to Colombia.
The two countries agreed to introduce reciprocal visa-free travel for their citizens. The arrangement will begin on Sept. 1. They also established the Colombia-Israel Binational Economic Commission and planned a visit by a Colombian delegation to Israel in October.
The administration in Bogotá also took steps to resume coal exports to Israel, which had been halted during the Petro presidency. The De la Espriella government additionally began the process of withdrawing from Colombia’s previous intervention in South Africa’s application before the International Court of Justice in connection with the genocide case concerning Gaza.
Experts link the shift to closer ties with Washington
Arlene Beth Tickner, a former Colombian representative to the United Nations and ambassador, said the main aim of the policy change was to demonstrate loyalty and proximity to the U.S. government rather than to Israel. Glaeldys Gonzalez, the International Crisis Group’s Colombia expert, said describing the shift as a complete transformation could overstate the picture.
Gonzalez said De la Espriella’s approach was shaped not only by an ideological affinity based on the leader’s defense of “Judeo-Christian values,” but also 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.
According to Gonzalez, military equipment and security technologies could become prominent in the revitalized relationship. Air defense systems and artificial intelligence applications could come onto the agenda, particularly in response to the increased use of drones by armed groups and criminal organizations. Gonzalez also assessed the recognition of the Golan Heights as part of Colombia’s broader alignment with Washington’s foreign-policy line.
Mariano Aguirre Ernst, an expert at Chatham House, said the speed of the decision indicated alignment with the Trump administration. Ernst said the move also sent a message to conservative political circles, the private sector and the military in Colombia. He described the development as the rebuilding of political, commercial, military and intelligence ties that had become strained during the Petro presidency.
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 weight beyond its symbolic significance. Wajner said Colombia viewed Tel Aviv as a bridge in its effort to move closer to Washington, and that the position recalled the policy pursued during Álvaro Uribe’s presidency in the 2000s.
Wajner said the Israeli administration wanted to show that it could maintain relations with countries around the world at a time when it was facing criticism, boycotts and sanctions. Tickner argued that ties with Israel could be intended to offset the reputational damage caused by its actions in Gaza and the occupied territories.
Experts said Israel’s policy in Latin America had for many years included military cooperation, intelligence and the sale of cybersecurity technologies. The cooperation 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.
Decision criticized in Colombia
Tickner called the Golan Heights decision 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 the country’s interests.
Tickner also said expanding security cooperation could draw Colombia into joint U.S. operations involving Israel and increase the U.S.-Israeli military presence in the region.
A magnitude-7.4 earthquake struck Colombia on the day the decision was announced. Hundreds of people were killed and thousands were injured. The disaster shifted public attention from foreign policy to rescue efforts.
Ernst interpreted De la Espriella’s approach as part of a broader political trend pursued 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 described the break during the Petro presidency as an exception that is unlikely to be repeated unless the country turns left again in the future.
