Colombia’s incoming foreign minister informed Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar that his country will open an embassy in Jerusalem, Sa’ar’s office said Friday, after President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella vowed his country would share a relationship “like never before” with Israel once he takes office.

Colombia will be the ninth country to open an embassy in Israel’s capital.

The United States, Guatemala, Honduras, Kosovo, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Fiji and Somaliland also have embassies in Jerusalem, while other countries — including Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia — have embassy branches in the capital.

During their meeting in Washington, DC, Sa’ar and Omar Bola Escobar also agreed to restore full diplomatic relations and remove visa requirements.

Colombia recalled its ambassador in June 2024, and Israel responded by not replacing its outgoing envoy.

Bogota’s relations with Jerusalem nosedived under Colombia’s first-ever leftist government led by President Gustavo Petro, an ardent critic of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, which he has cast as a genocide — a charge vehemently denied by Israel.

Petro severed diplomatic ties and suspended the purchase of weaponry from Israel — formerly one of Colombia’s main military........

© The Times of Israel