Colombia Opens Embassy in Jerusalem, Restores Free Trade Deal with Israel
JERUSALEM: Colombia opened its embassy in Jerusalem on Wednesday, becoming the 10th country to do so, as new President Abelardo de la Espriella reversed his predecessor’s break with Israel and restored a free trade agreement between the two countries.
The opening marks a sharp turn in Colombia’s foreign policy. Former president Gustavo Petro broke diplomatic relations with Israel in May 2024 over its actions in Gaza, closed Colombia’s embassy in Tel Aviv and recalled its ambassador. Israel had called the move antisemitic and a reward for Hamas.
Colombia embassy Jerusalem opening: the key facts
Right-winger de la Espriella became president in August, and the embassy move fulfils a campaign pledge. Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said de la Espriella had told him long before the election that he would move the embassy to Jerusalem immediately if he won. “He made a promise, and he kept it,” Saar said.
Colombian Foreign Minister Omar Bula Escobar attended the opening ceremony alongside Saar, where the embassy sign was unveiled and a mezuzah was affixed to the entrance of the building.
“Opening an embassy in Jerusalem is not only recognition of the simple political fact that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital. It is also recognition of a historical truth that no honest person can deny,” Saar said.
“Today, we are taking a concrete step towards restoring diplomatic relations between our countries, relations that should never have been broken. Israel is a strategic partner. It always has been, and from now on, it will be an even stronger one,” Escobar said at the ceremony.
The two foreign ministers were also scheduled to hold bilateral talks on Wednesday covering political dialogue, security and defence cooperation, trade and investment.
A day earlier, on Tuesday, Colombia reinstated the free trade agreement with Israel that Petro had terminated. Saar said that in two months his government had reversed most of the negative consequences of the Petro administration for Israel-Colombia relations and “even broken new ground”, thanking de la Espriella for his determination to bring the relationship “to an all-time high”.
Why the move matters
Most countries maintain their embassies to Israel in Tel Aviv. Israel regards Jerusalem as its capital, while Palestinians seek East Jerusalem as the capital of a future independent state. The city’s status remains one of the most contentious issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Several countries have relocated their embassies to Jerusalem since the United States did so in 2018, among them Guatemala, Honduras, Paraguay and Somaliland. Colombia is now the 10th.
The reversal also closes a bitter chapter. Petro had been one of Israel’s fiercest critics in Latin America, halting coal exports to Israel and repeatedly denouncing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. His successor’s first months have undone nearly all of it: ties restored, the trade deal back, and now an embassy in the contested capital.
For Pakistan, the development is one to watch from a distance. Pakistan does not recognise Israel and has stayed out of the normalisation wave reshaping Middle East diplomacy. But each new embassy in Jerusalem hardens the diplomatic reality around the city’s status, the issue at the heart of the conflict.
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FAQs
When did Colombia open its embassy in Jerusalem?
Colombia inaugurated its embassy in Jerusalem on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, becoming the 10th country with an embassy in the city.
Why did Colombia break with Israel earlier?
Former president Gustavo Petro broke diplomatic relations in May 2024 over Israel’s actions in Gaza, closed the Tel Aviv embassy, recalled the ambassador and terminated the free trade agreement.
Who is Colombia’s new president?
Abelardo de la Espriella, described as a right-winger, became president in August 2026. He had pledged before the election to move the embassy to Jerusalem.
Which other countries have embassies in Jerusalem?
Since the United States moved its embassy in 2018, Guatemala, Honduras, Paraguay and Somaliland are among the countries that followed. Colombia is the 10th.
