(Aug. 7, 2026 \/ JNS)\n <\/p>\n
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa\u2019ar met with Colombian President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella on Thursday, one day before his inauguration, as the two countries prepared for a sweeping restoration of diplomatic, economic and security ties after more than two years of strained relations.<\/p>\n
Sa\u2019ar was invited to a private meeting and lunch at de la Espriella\u2019s office in Barranquilla. The talks lasted nearly three hours and focused on practical steps to strengthen bilateral diplomatic, security and economic cooperation, according to Israel\u2019s Foreign Ministry.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy friend, Abelardo de la Espriella, who will be sworn in today as president of Colombia, is a determined and inspiring leader,\u201d Sa\u2019ar wrote on X on Friday.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis election is great news for his country, but also for relations between Israel and Colombia,\u201d he continued, describing de la Espriella as \u201ca great friend of the Jewish people and the State of Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe golden age in relations between Colombia and Israel begins today,\u201d Sa\u2019ar wrote.<\/p>\n
During Thursday\u2019s meeting, Sa\u2019ar thanked the president-elect for his decision to relocate Colombia\u2019s embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have laid a brick in the walls of Jerusalem,\u201d Sa\u2019ar told him.<\/p>\n
The foreign minister is representing Israel at de la Espriella\u2019s inauguration in Cali on Friday.<\/p>\n
The meeting was the second between the two men, following talks in Buenos Aires in November 2025.<\/p>\n
It came two weeks after Sa\u2019ar met Colombia\u2019s incoming foreign minister, Omar Bula, in Washington, where the two men agreed on a roadmap to rapidly restore bilateral relations once de la Espriella assumed office.<\/p>\n
The measures include the immediate restoration of full diplomatic relations and the appointment of ambassadors, the lifting of visa requirements between the two countries and the relocation of Colombia\u2019s embassy to Jerusalem.<\/p>\n
The incoming Colombian government has also pledged to resume coal exports to Israel, which were halted under outgoing President Gustavo Petro, and to reverse Bogot\u00e1\u2019s support for international legal and diplomatic initiatives targeting the Jewish state.<\/p>\n
According to the Israeli Foreign Ministry, Colombia intends to withdraw its support for South Africa\u2019s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice and leave the Hague Group.<\/p>\n
The moves represent a dramatic reversal from the policies of Petro, who severed diplomatic ties with Israel during the war against Hamas in Gaza and repeatedly criticized the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.<\/p>\n
Colombia had long been considered one of Israel\u2019s closest partners in Latin America, maintaining extensive cooperation in trade, agriculture and security before relations deteriorated under Petro.<\/p>\n
De la Espriella\u2019s election signals a return to that partnership. During his campaign, he pledged to restore ties with Israel and move Colombia\u2019s embassy to Jerusalem.<\/p>\n