Colombia officially opened its embassy in Jerusalem on Wednesday, October 14, in a ceremony led by Foreign Minister Omar Bula, marking a significant shift in the country’s relationship with Israel following the diplomatic break initiated by former President Gustavo Petro’s administration.
With the opening of the diplomatic mission, Colombia becomes the 10th country in the world to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, joining a small group of nations that have taken this step despite international controversy over the city’s status. The decision has already drawn criticism from the Palestinian National Authority.
The ceremony was attended by Bula, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, and both countries’ ambassadors, Tania Gilinski and Vivian Aisen.
The inauguration implements President Abelardo de la Espriella’s decision to relocate Colombia’s diplomatic representation and is part of his administration’s strategy to restore and strengthen bilateral relations with the controversial government of Benjamin Netanyahu, who is subject to an international arrest warrant over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Colombia opens Jerusalem embassy, becoming 10th country to do so
The embassy’s relocation is one of the clearest signs of the shift in Colombian foreign policy since De la Espriella took office on August 7. His administration has pushed to restore relations with Israel and made bilateral cooperation one of its priorities, with a particular focus on security, technology, trade, and investment.
Opening the mission in Jerusalem turns that rapprochement into a concrete diplomatic decision and a clear, controversial statement of position. Under Petro, relations between the two countries deteriorated progressively, particularly after the then-president announced the severing of diplomatic ties in May 2024 amid Israel’s military offensive in Gaza and his repeated criticism of Israel’s actions.
The new administration has chosen to reverse that policy. The embassy’s relocation, announced as part of the bilateral rapprochement, reflects closer alignment with Israel and a willingness to take a position that remains controversial on the international stage.
“With the opening of Colombia’s embassy in Jerusalem, we are taking a concrete step toward restoring our diplomatic relations. A relationship that should never have been interrupted,” Omar Bula said at the diplomatic mission’s inauguration.
In this regard, Bula said the embassy “is a visible expression of our determination to restore dialogue, strengthen mutual trust, and build an agenda that generates tangible benefits for both Colombian and Israeli citizens.”
Finally, Colombia’s top diplomat recalled the seven decades of relations between the two countries and highlighted their “security ties,” the main driving force behind current relations between the two governments.
Meanwhile, Marcos Peckel, director of the Jewish Community in Colombia, described the event as “historic.” In a post on social media, Peckel celebrated the opening of “Colombia’s new embassy in the heart of Jerusalem, the eternal capital of the Jewish people and the State of Israel. ‘If I forget you, Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill,'” referring to Psalm 137:5 in the Bible, which is part of a song associated with Jews exiled to Babylon in 586 B.C.
Histórico. Se inaugura la nueva embajada de Colombia en el corazón de Jerusalem, capital eterna del pueblo judío y del Estado de Israel. “Si me olvidara de ti Jerusalem, que se olvide mi diestra” https://t.co/QaTZmD5bIL
— Marcos Peckel (@marcospeckel) October 14, 2026
Why Jerusalem is a sensitive issue
The location of embassies in Israel is a particularly sensitive issue because of Jerusalem’s disputed status. Israel considers the city its capital and is home to its main government institutions. The Palestinians, meanwhile, claim East Jerusalem as the capital of a future independent state.
Most countries maintain their embassies in Tel Aviv or its surrounding areas to avoid taking sides on the city’s final status before Israelis and Palestinians reach a negotiated agreement. The international community has generally maintained that Jerusalem’s future must be resolved through negotiations.
For this reason, moving an embassy to Jerusalem is not merely an administrative decision. The move is interpreted as a diplomatic signal recognizing Israel’s claims to the city, although different governments do not always express their positions in the same way.
The United States moved its embassy in 2018, during Donald Trump’s first presidency. Other countries, including Guatemala, Honduras, Paraguay, Kosovo, Papua New Guinea, and Fiji, subsequently established their diplomatic missions in Jerusalem. Colombia is now joining this small group.
The relocation of the Colombian embassy comes amid international divisions over Israel’s policies and the future of Jerusalem. While Israel has welcomed the decision as a sign of renewed friendship, the move departs from the position taken by most governments, which have avoided establishing their embassies in the city as long as its final status remains unresolved.
In this regard, the Foreign Ministry of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) condemned the inauguration of Colombia’s embassy in Jerusalem, calling the move “a flagrant violation of international law and United Nations Security Council Resolutions 476 and 478 of 1980” and urging Bogota to reverse its decision.
الخارجية// تدين افتتاح حكومة كولومبيا سفارتها لدى الاحتلال في القدس المحتلة وتدعو إلى احترام الوضع القانوني والتاريخي القائم وتفعيل القرارات الدولية والعربية والإسلامية ذات الصلة
تدين وزارة الخارجية والمغتربين لدولة فلسطين بأشد العبارات إقدام حكومة كولومبيا على افتتاح سفارتها لدى الاحتلال الإسرائيلي في مدينة القدس المحتلة، وتعتبره انتهاكا صارخا للقانون الدولي وقرارات الأمم المتحدة ذات الصلة، واعتداء على الشعب الفلسطيني وحقوقه الوطنية العادلة والمشروعة. وتؤكد الوزارة أن جميع الإجراءات والقرارات الرامية إلى تغيير الوضع القانوني والتاريخي لمدينة القدس المحتلة باطلة ولاغية، ولا يترتب عليها أي أثر قانوني.
وتشدد الوزارة على أن افتتاح سفارة لدى الاحتلال الإسرائيلي في القدس المحتلة يشكل انتهاكا لقرارات الشرعية الدولية، وفي مقدمتها قرارا مجلس الأمن رقم 476 ورقم 478، وتقويضا للإجماع الدولي بشأن الوضع القانوني للمدينة المقدسة، ومساسا بحقوق الشعب الفلسطيني غير القابلة للتصرف، كما يشجع سلطات الاحتلال على مواصلة سياساتها الاستعمارية ومحاولاتها فرض وقائع غير قانونية على الأرض.
وتطالب الوزارة حكومة كولومبيا بالالتزام بالقانون الدولي واحترام قرارات الأمم المتحدة ذات الصلة، والتراجع عن هذه الخطوة، بما يحفظ فرص تحقيق السلام العادل والشامل، على أساس إنهاء الاحتلال الإسرائيلي طويل الأمد وتجسيد استقلال دولة فلسطين وعاصمتها القدس.
كما تؤكد الوزارة أهمية اضطلاع الدول الشقيقة والصديقة والمنظمات الإقليمية والدولية بمسؤولياتها في هذا الصدد، والعمل على حماية حقوق الشعب الفلسطيني غير القابلة للتصرف، وفقاً لقرارات الشرعية الدولية وأحكام القانون الدولي، ولا سيما القرارات المتعلقة بالوضع القانوني لمدينة القدس وتنفيذ القرارات الأممية وقرارات الاجماع العربي والإسلامي بشأن اتخاذ ما يلزم من خطوات سياسية ودبلوماسية واقتصادية وقانونية ضد أي دولة تفتتح او تنقل سفارتها الى القدس.
— State of Palestine – MFA
(@pmofa) October 14, 2026