Colombia opens an embassy in Jerusalem, condemned by Saudi Arabia and Jordan

Colombia inaugurated its embassy in Jerusalem on Wednesday, October 14. According to Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, it is the tenth foreign embassy in the city. The ceremony was chaired by Colombian Foreign Minister Omar Bula Escobar, who is on an official visit to Israel, with Saar taking part. The new mission is headed by Ambassador Tania Gilinski.

According to the Colombian Foreign Ministry’s announcement, the embassy is one of the main results of the normalisation of relations between the two countries, which were formally restored in August 2026. Since then the two governments have reinstated mutual visa exemption for tourists and reactivated cooperation mechanisms in security, defence, trade and technology.

“Today, with the opening of Colombia’s embassy in Jerusalem, we are taking a concrete step toward restoring our diplomatic relations,” said Bula, who also visited Yad Vashem before bilateral talks with Saar.

Saar wrote on X that Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella had promised him in Buenos Aires, long before he was elected, that he would move the embassy to Jerusalem immediately. “He promised and he did it,” Saar noted, adding that the number of embassies in the city has doubled since he took office less than two years ago, and that “there will be more.”

A day earlier, the two countries had restored their free trade agreement, which the previous government of Gustavo Petro had denounced. Petro cut relations with Israel in 2024 because of the war in Gaza.

Arab reaction

The reaction of the Arab world came the same day. Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry called the decision a flagrant violation of international law and UN resolutions that undermines the legal and historical status of the city, and called on the international community and the Security Council to act immediately.

Jordan’s Foreign Ministry described any attempt to change the status of Jerusalem as null and void and without legal effect, repeating that the only path to peace is a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Bogotá’s move came after Colombia recently recognised Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, a decision that Riyadh also condemned. Separately, the Colombian Foreign Ministry issued a statement condemning the attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, where the Houthis have repeatedly struck, including Riyadh’s King Khalid airport.