Presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella of the opposition Defenders of the Motherland movement speaks to supporters from inside a bulletproof booth at a celebration rally after runoff election results showed him leading in Barranquilla, Colombia, Sunday, June 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Sa’ar added that he has invited the president-elect to visit Israel and hopes to welcome him in Jerusalem soon.
By Pesach Benson, TPS
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar congratulated Colombian president-elect Abelardo de la Espriella on Monday following his narrow victory in Sunday’s runoff election.
With 99.91% of votes counted, Colombia’s National Civil Registry reported that de la Espriella secured 49.65% of the vote, ahead of ruling party candidate Iván Cepeda, who received 48.71%—a margin of fewer than 250,000 votes.
“Congratulations to my friend Abelardo ‘The Tiger’ de la Espriella on his impressive victory in the Colombian presidential elections,” Sa’ar wrote on X.
“We look forward to working with President-elect de la Espriella to strengthen relations between Israel and Colombia and bring them to an all-time high.”
He added that he has invited the president-elect to visit Israel and hopes to welcome him in Jerusalem soon.
Cepeda has said he will request a recount across approximately 30,000 polling stations, as election officials have not yet formally certified the results.
De la Espriella’s apparent victory marks a potential shift in Colombia’s foreign policy toward Israel.
He has pledged to restore ties after outgoing President Gustavo Petro severed diplomatic relations in 2024 amid the war with Hamas.
He was also endorsed by U.S. President Donald Trump.
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