Embassy moves from Tel Aviv

Colombia formally opened its embassy in Jerusalem on Wednesday, 14 October 2026, moving the mission from Tel Aviv, where nearly all countries keep theirs. Foreign Minister Omar Bula and his Israeli counterpart, Gideon Saar, unveiled the plaques at the building on Rabi Akiva Street in western Jerusalem. The decision belongs to President Abelardo de la Espriella, who announced the move in July and was sworn in in August. His predecessor, Gustavo Petro, severed diplomatic ties with Israel in May 2024 over the war in Gaza, and the new government has since restored those relations along with a free trade agreement Petro had ended. Ambassador Tania Gilinski and Jerusalem mayor Moshe Lion attended the ceremony.

What the two ministers said

At the ceremony, Bula told attendees that the two countries share common interests in security, economy and culture, and that cooperation requires sustained institutional dialogue and a solid diplomatic presence. He also said relations should never have been broken, and described the opening as a concrete step toward restoring diplomatic ties.

“Israel is a strategic partner. It always has been, and from now on, it will be an even stronger one.”

Saar, who signed the Colombian embassy's guest book, called the day important for both the State of Israel and the city of Jerusalem. He thanked De la Espriella for keeping a promise, made in Buenos Aires before the election, to move the embassy immediately after taking office. Saar said Jerusalem now hosts ten embassies and that their number had doubled since he took office less than two years ago.

“This is an important date for the State of Israel. It's also an important date for the city of Jerusalem.”

Saar also said the embassy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which would be the eleventh, is on its way, and that he already knows which country will be the twelfth but cannot yet name it.

Condemnation from Saudi Arabia and Palestinian officials

Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry condemned the opening as a flagrant breach of international law and relevant resolutions, arguing that it amounts to explicit recognition of Israeli sovereignty over occupied territory. Riyadh called on the Security Council and other parties to take immediate steps to halt what it described as Israel's illegal policies. The Palestinian Authority said the move violated international legitimacy resolutions and undermined the international consensus on the legal status of the holy city. Jordan's foreign ministry also criticised the decision as a violation of international law and relevant resolutions.

The United States recognised Jerusalem as Israel's capital in December 2017 and moved its embassy there in May 2018. Reports list the countries that currently have embassies in Jerusalem as the United States, Guatemala, Honduras, Kosovo, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Fiji, Nauru and Somaliland. Colombia is now the tenth to open one there, according to Saar's count.

Shift in Bogota's Israel policy

De la Espriella's government has moved quickly away from Petro's line. Petro cut ties in May 2024 in protest at Israel's military offensive in Gaza, which followed the attacks by Hamas on 7 October 2023. El Pais reports that De la Espriella has also recognised Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Syrian Golan Heights. Jerusalem's status is one of the most contested issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and most states keep their missions in Tel Aviv to avoid prejudging it.