World
Colombia’s president-elect vows to work with Israel ‘like never before’
Colombia’s new right-wing president-elect Abelardo de la Espriella said Wednesday that his country and Israel will share a relationship “like never before” once he takes office.
De la Espriella won Sunday’s runoff presidential vote by less than a percentage point and has promised to strengthen the South American country’s ties to the United States and Israel.
Bogota’s relations with Jerusalem nosedived under Colombia’s first-ever leftist government led by President Gustavo Petro, an ardent critic of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, which he has cast as a genocide — a charge vehemently denied by Israel.
Petro severed diplomatic ties, halted coal exports and suspended the purchase of weaponry from Israel — formerly one of Colombia’s main military partners. Colombia had long depended on Israel for military hardware that includes assault rifles, intelligence equipment and even fighter jets.
De la Espriella has said he will reverse these decisions, and one of his main campaign pledges was to “renew a strategic alliance with the State of Israel,” open an embassy in Jerusalem, and “defend the Judeo-Christian principles that form the foundation of Western civilization.”
“Colombia will restore and strengthen its relationship with the State of Israel like never before,” the millionaire lawyer posted on X following a phone call with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar.
Thank you, my dear friend. Colombia will restore and strengthen its relationship with the State of Israel like never before. Israel can count on Colombia as a loyal friend and steadfast ally. May God bless our two nations.
_____
Gracias, mi querido amigo. Colombia restaurará y… https://t.co/YwaQEdUtwM
— Abelardo De La Espriella (@ABDELAESPRIELLA) June 24, 2026
In his own post, Sa’ar called De la Espriella “a true friend of the Jewish people and the State of Israel,” and said his win “creates hope and possibility for a better future.”
Nicknamed “The Tiger,” De la Espriella holds dual Colombian and US citizenship. He’s a Trump supporter and a member of the US Republican Party.
He has never held public office before and will take the reins from Petro in August.
Colombia is enduring the worst levels of violence in a decade, and the president-elect won the election by looking to shrink the size of the state, conduct a bombing campaign against Colombia’s myriad armed groups and review the Latin American country’s involvement in international organizations including the United Nations.
He wants to build 10 mega-prisons where people would be held underground and fed only “bread and water.”
In an interview with AFP during the campaign, he said he would seek US and Israeli support to conduct bombing campaigns on guerrillas.
Experts consulted by AFP have cast doubt on De la Espriella’s ability to fulfill his promises.
He is taking the helm of a deeply divided country, with the political left — which won almost half the votes on Sunday — threatening massive protests against his policies, including his vow to restore ties with Israel.
