Foreign News
Explainer: What drives Colombia’s interest in restoring ties with Israel?
“I think the main purpose … is to demonstrate loyalty and proximity to the government of the United States,” she told Anadolu Agency.
Glaeldys Gonzalez, a Colombia expert at the International Crisis Group, told Anadolu Agency that framing the shift as a “U-turn” somewhat overstates the change.
Colombia spent two decades before 2024 as one of Israel’s closest allies in the region, its second-largest partner in Latin America after Brazil and a longtime buyer of Israeli weapons, before Petro severed ties over Gaza and ended defence contracts, she said.
Gonzalez said the Golan recognition reflects Bogota’s broader alignment with Washington’s foreign policy.
Gonzalez said Israel “is a central diplomatic priority for Colombia’s new government, extending beyond the restoration of bilateral ties.”
Mariano Aguirre Ernst, associate fellow at Chatham House, agreed that the pace of the decision signals alignment with the Trump administration while also sending a message to Colombia’s conservative political establishment, private sector and military.
What’s in it for Israel?
For Israel, the experts said, the payoff is as much about legitimacy as it is about economics.
Daniel Wajner, an associate professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, said being recognised by another country carries practical rather than purely symbolic weight.
He said Colombia was again seeking closeness to Washington, much as it did in the 2000s under former President Alvaro Uribe, with Tel Aviv serving as a “bridge” toward that goal.
Israel, he added, has its own domestic interest in such gestures ahead of elections, using them to show its public that the government is “managing to have good relations with the world” despite facing criticism, boycotts and sanctions over its genocide.
Tickner offered a similar reading of Israel’s motives, saying these ties are “important for counteracting the reputational damage that’s being caused by its own actions in Gaza and in the occupied territories.”
She said she was surprised by how strong Colombian public outrage over the decision had been.
Calling the Golan recognition and the Jerusalem embassy plan an “open disavowal” of international law, UN Security Council resolutions and the UN Charter, she said the move would cause “tremendous damage for Colombia and Colombian interests” rather than the reputational gains de la Espriella may be seeking.
