(Oct. 16, 2026 / JNS)
Colombia said on Thursday that it is withdrawing from the anti-Israel coalition of the Hague Group, where it has served as co-chair.
“Colombia officially requested its withdrawal from the Hague Group, a body formed to isolate and target Israel,” stated Omar Bula, Colombian foreign minister. “We reject this approach.”
The announcement came days after Bula inaugurated the Colombian embassy in Jerusalem, alongside Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar.
It also follows Honduras and Bolivia’s departure from the Hague Group in March. Like Colombia, both countries came under new leadership recently and have established warmer ties with Israel than their predecessors.
Neither Tegucigalpa nor La Paz cited Israel in their respective withdrawal announcements. Both governments instead emphasized national sovereignty and autonomy, as well as the importance of addressing international issues through the proper forums.
Marta Lucía Ramírez, a former vice president of Colombia, said in Spanish that it was a “positive decision and consistent with Colombia’s national interests.”
The Hague Group formed on Jan. 31, 2025, to bring the Global South together to take “coordinated legal and diplomatic measures” against “Israel’s violations of international law.”
It now includes Cuba, Malaysia, Namibia, Senegal and South Africa. Its website still lists Colombia as one of its chairs. Belize, one of the group’s founding members, quietly withdrew in February 2025 reportedly to avoid diplomatic pressure from the Trump administration.
The group has attracted dozens of states to various forums, including on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly last month.
It has announced a series of measures, including preventing weapons transfers to Israel, that it said will end the war in Gaza.
Weeks ago, Colombia also withdrew its declaration of intervention in South Africa’s “genocide” case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, the principal United Nations judicial arm, which is located in The Hague.
In August, Colombia restored full diplomatic relations with Israel under its new president, Abelardo de la Espriella.
His predecessor, Gustavo Petro, cut ties with Jerusalem over Israel’s prosecution of the war against Hamas.
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Mike Wagenheim is a Washington-based correspondent for JNS, primarily covering the U.S. State Department and Congress. He is the senior U.S. correspondent at the Israel-based i24NEWS TV network.