Colombia opened its embassy in Jerusalem on Wednesday, becoming the 10th country with an embassy in the Israeli capital as the two countries restore diplomatic relations following the election of President Abelardo de la Espriella.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and visiting Colombian Foreign Minister Omar Bula Escobar attended the inauguration on October 14, 2026.
“Today, we are taking a concrete step toward restoring diplomatic relations between us —relations that should never have been severed. Israel is a strategic partner—it always has been, and from now on, it will be even more so,” Escobar said, according to an Israeli Foreign Ministry readout.
Colombian Ambassador Tania Gilinski said relations between the countries would continue with “even greater determination and strength.”
De la Espriella announced plans to open the embassy after his election months ago, saying Colombia and Israel would have a relationship “like never before” once he took office.
Sa’ar said de la Espriella had pledged to move the embassy during a meeting between the two men in Buenos Aires before the Colombian presidential election.
“I thank my friend, the President of Colombia @ABDELAESPRIELLA, who told me in Buenos Aires, long before his election: ‘If I am elected President, I will immediately move the Embassy of Colombia to Jerusalem,’” Sa’ar wrote on X.
“He made a promise, and he kept it.”
Relations between Colombia and Israel had deteriorated under former President Gustavo Petro, whose government severed diplomatic ties with Israel in 2024. Petro was an outspoken critic of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.
Under de la Espriella, the two countries moved to restore diplomatic, economic, and security relations. Sa’ar and Escobar outlined a roadmap in July 2026 that included exchanging ambassadors.
Sa’ar called the embassy opening “a recognition of the simple political fact that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital.”
“This is the beginning of a golden age in relations between our two countries,” he said.
Colombia’s mission is the 10th embassy to open in Jerusalem. Sa’ar said the number of embassies in the capital has doubled since he took office less than two years ago.
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