Colombia’s New Leader Sides With Israel

man in suit speaking at a podium with Israeli flag — Photo: Alexandros Michailidis / Shutterstock

Colombia’s next president has ordered an embassy move that could reshape its foreign policy and deepen the sense that global elites are playing power games far above ordinary citizens’ heads.

Story Snapshot

Colombia’s president-elect Abelardo de la Espriella will open a new embassy in Jerusalem and recognize it as Israel’s capital.
The move reverses outgoing President Gustavo Petro’s break with Israel and aligns Colombia with Donald Trump’s America First bloc.
De la Espriella frames the shift as a return to “Judeo-Christian principles” and a tougher stance on terrorism and narcotrafficking.
Colombia joins a growing group of right-leaning governments using Jerusalem policy to signal loyalty to Washington and Israel.

What Colombia’s Embassy Move Really Means

Colombia’s president-elect Abelardo de la Espriella has confirmed that his incoming government will open a Colombian Embassy in Jerusalem and treat the city as Israel’s capital. His office announced the plan in mid-July, saying the new embassy is part of a full reset of ties with Israel after years of tension. De la Espriella takes office on August 7, and aides say this embassy move will be one of his first major acts as president. The decision instantly places Colombia on a short list of countries siding with Israel on one of the world’s most heated disputes.

Abelardo de la Espriella did not spring this idea on voters at the last minute. In November 2025, while still a candidate, he posted on X that “in my government I will install the embassy in Jerusalem” after a long meeting with Israel’s foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar. He tied the embassy plan to a broader strategy: a “strategic alliance” with Israel and the United States to fight terrorism and learn from countries that have survived major threats and wars. That pitch helped him win backing from conservative and evangelical groups inside Colombia.

From Petro’s Break with Israel to a Full Reset

Outgoing President Gustavo Petro spent his term turning Colombia into one of Israel’s loudest critics in the Americas, cutting ties over the Gaza war and accusing Israel of genocide. His government helped support a case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, and he used strong pro-Palestinian rhetoric at home and abroad. De la Espriella campaigned as Petro’s opposite, promising to restore relations, drop the lawsuit, and “defend the Judeo-Christian principles that form the foundation of Western civilization.” For many Colombians on both left and right, the swing feels less like careful policy and more like another sharp lurch driven by elites and foreign partners.

De la Espriella is a lawyer and businessman with no prior elected experience, often described as a far-right populist and a political outsider. He won the June 21 runoff by a narrow margin of about one percentage point against leftist Senator Iván Cepeda. The tight race shows a deeply split country, where almost half the voters preferred a continuation of Petro’s line. Soon after the result, Petro questioned the fairness of the election and hinted at foreign meddling, adding more fuel to public distrust in institutions, though observers and a recount found no evidence of fraud.

Jerusalem as a New Loyalty Test in the Americas

Colombia’s embassy decision fits a clear regional pattern. Since the United States moved its own embassy to Jerusalem, several mostly right-leaning or evangelical-led governments have followed, including Guatemala, Honduras, Paraguay, Kosovo, Papua New Guinea, and Fiji, with Argentina expected to join under President Javier Milei. Analysts say these moves often serve as a political signal more than a practical change: governments use Jerusalem to show closeness to Washington and Israel, win points with religious voters, and mark a break with leftist predecessors.

In Colombia’s case, the symbolism is thick. De la Espriella received public backing from U.S. President Donald Trump and spoke of learning from Israel’s fight against terrorism to tackle narcotrafficking and internal violence. Supporters see a clear win: closer security cooperation, technology deals, and a place “on the right side of history” next to Israel and the United States. Critics worry the move will deepen global divides, sideline Palestinian claims, and tie Colombia even tighter to foreign power struggles while everyday Colombians still face poverty, crime, and a shrinking path to the middle class.

Shared Frustrations Underneath the Foreign Policy Shift

For many older conservatives, the embassy announcement looks like a welcome break from Petro’s leftist, pro-Palestine line and a stand against global “woke” agendas they blame for weakening Western values. For many older liberals, it looks like another win for America First-style politics, less social spending, and a foreign policy that seems to favor powerful allies over human rights for weaker peoples. Both groups, however, share a deeper fear: that big moves like this are decided in quiet talks with foreign ministers and presidents, far from the daily struggles of normal citizens trying to get ahead.

COLOMBIA | President-elect De la Espriella to restore ties with Israel, open a Jerusalem embassy, and drop support for the ICJ genocide case.

(France 24)

— Latinometrics (@LatamData) July 19, 2026

Jerusalem policy has become a kind of stress test for faith in government. People watch leaders flip Colombia’s position on Israel almost overnight and wonder whose interests truly come first. Is this embassy about Colombian workers and families, or about proving loyalty to Washington, Israel, and global markets? As De la Espriella prepares to cut support for the genocide case and open the Jerusalem embassy, many on both left and right will see confirmation of what they already suspect: the big decisions are made by a small circle of elites, and ordinary citizens are expected to simply live with the consequences.