Colombia Opens Embassy in Jerusalem, Drawing Palestinian Condemnation

Colombia has officially inaugurated its embassy in Jerusalem, joining a small group of countries that recognize Israeli sovereignty over the contested city. The opening took place as Israel faces mounting international pressure over the war in Gaza, where three years of attacks have killed more than 74,000 people.

Palestinian officials strongly condemned the move, calling it a violation of international resolutions and a departure from the global consensus on the legal status of the holy city.

A turning point in Colombia's foreign policy

The opening of the embassy in Jerusalem marks a major policy shift under President Abelardo de la Espriella compared with his leftist predecessor, Gustavo Petro. In 2024, Petro severed diplomatic relations with Israel in protest over the war in Gaza.

De la Espriella, who was sworn in in August, has also restored the free trade agreement between Israel and Colombia that Petro had terminated.

Speaking at the inauguration, Colombian Foreign Minister Omar Bula Escobar said relations between the two countries "should never have been broken" and that Bogota is "taking concrete steps to restore diplomatic relations."

"Israel is a strategic partner. It was before, and from now on, the relationship will be even stronger," Bula Escobar said.

On the Israeli side, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar welcomed the move at the ceremony. "This is an important day for the State of Israel. It is also an important day for the city of Jerusalem," Saar said as he signed the Colombian embassy's guestbook.

Colombian Ambassador Tania Gilinski also stressed that Israel has always been a "strategic partner" and that relations between the two countries "will continue to develop with even greater determination and strength."

Reaction from Palestine and Jordan

The Palestinian Authority condemned the opening of the Colombian embassy, calling it "a violation of resolutions on international legitimacy" and saying it undermines "the international consensus on the legal status of the holy city."

Jordan's Foreign Ministry also criticized the move as "a violation of international law and relevant international resolutions."

Jerusalem — an unresolved issue

The status of Jerusalem remains one of the core unresolved issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel claims the entire city as its indivisible capital, while Palestinians regard occupied East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state.

Israel occupied and annexed East Jerusalem in 1967, a move not recognized by most of the international community. In 2018, during his first term, U.S. President Donald Trump moved the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, angering Palestinian officials and triggering a wave of international criticism.

Previously, successive U.S. presidents, as well as nearly all other countries, avoided opening embassies in Jerusalem, arguing that the city's final status should be settled through negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.

Since the U.S. moved its embassy to Jerusalem, only a handful of small, U.S.-friendly countries have followed suit, including Fiji, Guatemala, Honduras, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay and Nauru. Kosovo and Somaliland, entities that are not U.N. member states, have also opened missions they consider embassies in Jerusalem.