Israeli FM holds first diplomatic meeting with Colombia's new president ahead of inauguration

Israeli Foreign Minister Sa'ar met with Colombia's president-elect, Abelardo de la Esperanza, on Friday, the new Colombian leader's first diplomatic meeting with a foreign official ahead of his inauguration.

Sa'ar was invited to the president-elect's office in Barranquilla for a private meeting and lunch that lasted nearly three hours. The two leaders discussed practical steps to strengthen political, security and economic cooperation as Israel and Colombia work to restore full diplomatic ties.

During the meeting, Sa'ar thanked de la Esperanza for his decision to relocate Colombia's embassy to Jerusalem, calling the move "laying a brick in the walls of Jerusalem."

The meeting was the second between the two leaders, following an earlier encounter in Buenos Aires in November 2025.

Later on Friday, Sa'ar represented Israel at the inauguration ceremony of Colombia's new president in the city of Cali.

The meeting is a major shift in Israeli-Colombian relations after more than two years of strained ties under outgoing President Gustavo Petro, whose government downgraded relations with Israel during the war in Gaza.

Last month, Sa'ar met in Washington with Colombia's incoming foreign minister, Omar Bola Escobar, where both sides agreed on a roadmap to restore full diplomatic relations.

The agreement includes the immediate appointment of ambassadors, the removal of visa requirements between the two countries, the relocation of Colombia's embassy to Jerusalem, the resumption of Colombian coal exports to Israel, and Colombia's withdrawal from South Africa's case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, as well as from the Hague Group.