Colombia’s incoming government to fully restore ties with Israel, move embassy to Jerusalem

Colombia’s incoming government, led by President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella, will fully restore economic and diplomatic relations with Israel immediately after taking office on August 7. This decision, announced by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar after a meeting with Colombia’s foreign minister-designate Omar Bula, reverses the diplomatic freeze enacted by outgoing President Gustavo Petro.

• The new administration plans to open a Colombian embassy in Jerusalem and initiate processes to eliminate mutual tourist visa requirements.
• Both nations will immediately reappoint ambassadors, filling the diplomatic void left when envoys were withdrawn in June 2024.
• This move ends the anti-Israel foreign policy of the Petro administration, which had severed diplomatic ties and imposed visa restrictions following the Gaza war.
• Saar stated, “We outlined a detailed roadmap for the full and immediate restoration of diplomatic and economic relations.”