Colombia Opens Embassy in Jerusalem

Colombia opened its embassy in Jerusalem on Wednesday, deepening a diplomatic rapprochement with Israel after restoring bilateral relations two months earlier.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and Colombian Foreign Minister Omar Bula inaugurated the embassy in the Israeli capital on Oct. 14 during Bula’s visit to Israel.

Sa’ar described the day as historic for Israel–Colombia relations and said Colombia’s mission was the 10th embassy to open in Jerusalem.

The embassy opening is the latest step in a major shift in Colombia’s foreign policy under President Abelardo de la Espriella. Since taking office in August, de la Espriella’s administration has moved quickly to rebuild relations with Israel, restoring diplomatic and economic ties.

This followed a two-year freeze that began after former President Gustavo Petro severed diplomatic ties with Israel in May 2024 over its actions in Gaza, according to Colombia’s Foreign Ministry.

Under de la Espriella, Colombia in August became the second country after the United States to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. In September, it formally broke diplomatic relations with Iran, citing national and hemispheric security concerns.

Jerusalem Embassy

Israel considers Jerusalem its capital, while Palestinians seek East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state. The city’s status remains one of the central disputes in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.

Most countries maintain their embassies in Tel Aviv rather than Jerusalem.

“Israel and Colombia share a relationship spanning nearly seven decades, during which we have developed ties in security, trade, agriculture, science, and technology,” Bula said at the opening. “Today, we renew this relationship with a vision for the future and a clear purpose: to transform the opportunities for cooperation and brotherhood into tangible results for our countries.”

The Colombian Embassy in Jerusalem, led by Ambassador Tania Gilinski, will expand consular services for Colombians in Israel, according to the Colombian Foreign Ministry.

Bilateral Cooperation

Bula’s visit to Israel includes meetings with senior Israeli officials and talks on bilateral cooperation across a wide range of areas, including security, trade, investment, and technology.

The agenda also includes increasing Colombian exports, particularly coffee, and other agricultural products, while attracting Israeli investment in software, financial technology, cybersecurity, and innovation, the Colombian Foreign Ministry said.

Colombia and Israel signed a free-trade agreement in 2013 after more than a year of negotiations, and the accord entered into force in August 2020 following ratification by both countries.

The agreement eliminates or reduces tariffs on most industrial goods and many agricultural products and provides a framework for investment, government procurement, intellectual property, customs cooperation, and dispute settlement.

Colombia’s Foreign Ministry lists the Colombia–Israel Free Trade Agreement as “in force” on its official bilateral relations page.

Before beginning official meetings, Bula met relatives of Colombian victims of Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack, survivors of the attack, and Elkana Bohbot, a naturalized Colombian who was kidnapped by Hamas.