Colombia’s president-elect vows to restore Israel ties

“Colombia will restore and strengthen its relationship with the State of Israel like never before,” De la Espriella declared.

By World Israel News Staff

Colombia’s president-elect Abelardo de la Espriella said he would rebuild ties with Israel “like never before,” signaling a sharp foreign-policy reversal after outgoing President Gustavo Petro severed diplomatic relations with Jerusalem over the war in Gaza.

De la Espriella, a right-wing lawyer and political newcomer who narrowly won Colombia’s presidential runoff this week, made the pledge after a congratulatory call with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar.

“Colombia will restore and strengthen its relationship with the State of Israel like never before,” De la Espriella wrote on social media after the call. “Israel can count on Colombia as a loyal friend and steadfast ally. May God bless our two nations.”

Sa’ar said he had spoken with De la Espriella and described him as “a true friend of the Jewish people and the State of Israel.”

“I congratulated him on his important victory in the elections, a victory that creates hope and possibility for a better future for Colombia and its citizens, and I wished him great success,” Sa’ar said.

“The President-elect reiterated in our conversation his commitment, which he also expressed during his election campaign, to the alliance between Israel and Colombia that will be stronger than ever,” Sa’ar added. “I too emphasized our strong desire to strengthen this alliance for the benefit of both our peoples. We will do this together – Colombia and Israel – and in a big way!”

De la Espriella’s victory marks a major turn in Colombian politics after the left-wing presidency of Petro, one of Israel’s fiercest critics in Latin America.

Petro broke diplomatic relations with Israel in May 2024, falsely accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. His government also moved to halt coal exports to Israel and suspended some military cooperation with a country that had long been a major security partner for Bogota.

De la Espriella has promised closer relations with both Israel and the US, tying the shift to a broader hardline security agenda. During the campaign, he called for stronger action against armed groups and drug-trafficking networks and praised aspects of the tough-on-crime policies associated with El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele.

The president-elect, who has never held public office, defeated left-wing Senator Iván Cepeda in a runoff decided by less than one percentage point. Colombian electoral authorities declared De la Espriella the winner after a tense post-election count, and Cepeda later conceded.

The result ends a left-wing administration that reshaped Colombia’s foreign policy, especially on Israel. Petro repeatedly accused Israel of atrocities in Gaza, backed international legal action against Israel, and ordered the opening of a Colombian embassy in Ramallah.

The deterioration in ties also carried practical consequences. Colombia had historically relied on Israel for military equipment, intelligence systems and defense cooperation, including in its decades-long fight against guerrilla groups and criminal organizations. De la Espriella’s pledge to restore ties could reopen that channel, though any new defense arrangements would depend on both governments after he takes office.

De la Espriella is scheduled to assume the presidency on August 7. His administration is expected to bring Colombia closer to a bloc of right-leaning governments in the Americas and to pursue warmer relations with Washington and Jerusalem.

For Israel, the incoming Colombian government offers a potential diplomatic win after a period in which several Latin American governments downgraded or cut ties over Gaza. For Colombia, the shift could revive a security partnership that Petro had moved to dismantle.

De la Espriella framed the change as a full reset.

“Colombia will restore and strengthen its relationship with the State of Israel like never before,” he said.