Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar meets with senior members of Colombia’s new government, including cabinet ministers, during a high-level meeting on the sidelines of President Abelardo de la Espriella’s inauguration in Cali. Photo: Screenshot

In a fresh sign of warming relations, senior members of Colombia’s new cabinet joined Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and Colombian Vice President Jose Manuel Restrepo for a high-level meeting, reinforcing Israel’s expanding diplomatic gains across Latin America.

With bilateral ties entering a new phase, Sa’ar traveled to Colombia to attend the inauguration of President Abelardo de la Espriella, whose government has pledged to restore close relations with Israel after the sharp deterioration under former left-wing President Gustavo Petro.

During his diplomatic visit to Colombia, the Israeli top diplomat also met with several of the country’s newly appointed cabinet ministers as part of talks with Restrepo in Cali, the capital of the southwestern Valle del Cauca.

Among those in attendance were Colombian Foreign Minister Omar Bula Escobar, Defense Minister Jorge Eduardo Mora, Finance Minister Miguel Gómez Martínez, and Trade and Industry Minister Mauricio Gómez Amín, along with other senior government officials, signaling the new administration’s commitment to rebuilding relations with Israel.

“It is a great honor for me to represent the State of Israel at this historic moment for the Colombian people and for the future of relations between our two countries,” Sa’ar wrote in a post on X.

“I told my colleagues: We will not merely restore ties between our nations — we will elevate them to new heights,” he continued.

De cara a la histórica investidura del nuevo Presidente de Colombia, @ABDELAESPRIELLA, que tendrá lugar hoy, me reuní esta mañana con el Vicepresidente de Colombia @jrestrp, acompañado por el Ministro de Relaciones Exteriores @omarbula, el Ministro de Defensa Jorge Eduardo Mora,… pic.twitter.com/VJiaNPLaoZ

— Gideon Sa’ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) August 7, 2026

With Colombia’s new administration taking office, Bogotá has pledged to fully restore bilateral relations with Israel, deepen cooperation across key sectors, and reverse years of diplomatic tensions under Petro, whose anti-Israel policies and rhetoric severely strained one of Latin America’s historically closest partnerships with the Jewish state.

Last month, Sa’ar met with his Colombian counterpart in Washington where the two sides agreed to fully restore diplomatic and economic ties, exchange ambassadors, and scrap mutual visa requirements, laying the groundwork for a renewed strategic partnership as the new administration works to strengthen cooperation across multiple sectors.

Colombia’s new government has also pledged to withdraw the country’s support for South Africa’s contentious genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Under Espriella’s administration, Colombia also intends to open an embassy in Jerusalem — a move recognizing the city as Israel’s capital and marking a major shift in Bogotá’s foreign policy toward the Jewish state.

Historically, Colombia has been among Israel’s closest partners in Latin America, maintaining strong security, economic, and diplomatic cooperation for decades. However, relations deteriorated sharply under Petro, who filed a declaration of intervention in South Africa’s case in April 2024 and severed diplomatic ties with Israel the following month over the war in Gaza.

Across Latin America, several governments moved to downgrade or sever diplomatic ties with Israel following the outbreak of the war in Gaza, as part of broader efforts to pressure and isolate the Jewish state over its defensive military campaign against the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.

Now, a broader geopolitical shift is unfolding across Latin America, as a growing number of conservative governments seek closer ties with Israel, allowing the Jewish state to build on this emerging momentum by expanding cooperation, strengthening alliances, and deepening bilateral relations throughout the region.

Earlier this week, Chile and Honduras officially restored full ambassadorial representation with Israel, marking a major diplomatic breakthrough and the return of full bilateral ties for the first time since the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.