Colombia’s hard-right president-elect plans to open an embassy in Jerusalem as he seeks to restore and strengthen ties with Israel, his office said Thursday.<\/p>\n
Abelardo de la Espriella won last month’s presidential runoff by less than a percentage point and has promised to clamp down on Colombia’s myriad armed groups — partly by forging a military alliance with the United States and Israel.<\/p>\n
In 2024, \u00a0leftist President Gustavo Petro severed ties with Israel, one of Colombia’s key security partners, over its offensive in the Gaza Strip.<\/p>\n
De la Espriella, backed by US President Donald Trump, will take office on August 7 and has pledged to restore ties with Israel.<\/p>\n
The incoming government is moving forward with “the opening of the Colombian Embassy in Jerusalem, the capital of Israel,” his office stated Thursday.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Israel regards Jerusalem, including the occupied eastern part, as its capital, although\u00a0this is not recognized internationally and most countries conduct their diplomatic missions from Tel Aviv.<\/p>\n
The United States in 2018 moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem during Trump’s first term.<\/p>\n
Colombia is also set to withdraw its support for South Africa’s case before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which accuses Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.<\/p>\n
Incoming foreign minister Omar Bula on Wednesday met with his Israeli counterpart Gideon Saar in Washington, where the pair agreed on a roadmap to restore diplomatic relations and eliminate travel visas.<\/p>\n
“The historical relationship that the Petro administration unilaterally severed will be strengthened once again,” the statement read.<\/p>\n
Petro called De la Espriella an “accomplice to genocide” following the announcement.<\/p>\n
“Anyone who supports genocide is complicit in it,” he wrote on X.<\/p>\n
The outgoing leader had backed the ICJ case, while also halting coal exports to and arms imports from Israel.<\/p>\n
He also once said he intended to open a diplomatic mission in Ramallah, the West Bank, which is occupied by Israel, but the project never materialized.<\/p>\n
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