From Petro to De la Espriella

Abelardo de la Espriella’s inauguration as president of Colombia, held on Friday the 7th in Cali, presented a scene that sums up the country’s change of course better than any speech: Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, seated next to the new president, and a rabbi blessing—from the presidential podium—a nation that just a year ago severed diplomatic relations with the State of Israel.

The contrast could not be more striking. Under Gustavo Petro’s administration, Colombia became one of the most hostile Latin American governments toward Israel: it severed diplomatic relations, accused Jerusalem of genocide in Gaza, and aligned its foreign policy with that of Tehran rather than with that of Washington or Tel Aviv. De la Espriella took office promising exactly the opposite, and yesterday he not only promised it but made it a reality.

Sa’ar traveled to Colombia and met with de la Espriella in Barranquilla on the eve of the inauguration, and later, in Cali, with the new Minister of Foreign Affairs, Omar Bula Escobar. On social media, the Israeli minister described de la Espriella as a “determined and inspiring leader” and stated that his election “is great news for his country, but also for the relationship between Israel and Colombia.” This is not mere diplomatic protocol: it is a calculated message directed at the entire region, at a time when Israel is seeking to rebuild alliances in Latin America after years of deterioration.

The other pivotal moment was of a religious nature. During the interfaith dialogue at the ceremony, Rabbi David Michaan delivered a speech that did not go unnoticed: “Long live Colombia and long live Israel!” In a country where the debate over Israel and antisemitism became a highly polarized battleground during Petro’s administration, the presence of a rabbi blessing the new president at a state ceremony constitutes, in and of itself, a political statement.

De la Espriella had already announced during the campaign that he would reestablish relations with Israel. Now comes the crucial part: implementation. Everything points to Israel once again playing a central role in cooperation on security, intelligence, technology, and agriculture. There is also talk—though still without official confirmation—of a future Colombian embassy in Jerusalem; if it materializes, it would be the most significant diplomatic gesture by a Latin American government toward Israel in years, and it would place Bogotá, along with Guatemala and Honduras, among the few countries in the region with diplomatic representation in the city.

This rapprochement with Jerusalem is not occurring in isolation. It constitutes the centerpiece of a broader international architecture that De la Espriella seeks to rebuild, with the United States as the second pillar and a rapprochement with European governments aligned with the West on security and defense against terrorism. In other words, Colombia is shifting from a diplomacy of ideological confrontation—close to Tehran and hostile toward Jerusalem—to a diplomacy of strategic alliances with Western democracies.

It is too early to tell whether the new government will fulfill the promises made yesterday in Cali. Colombia has seen promises of a rapprochement with Israel in the past, only to watch them fade away under internal political pressure. But the staging of this inauguration—Sa’ar in the front row, a rabbi at the presidential podium, the symbolic break with four years of diplomatic hostility—leaves little doubt about the direction De la Espriella intends to set for Colombian foreign policy.

After Petro, Colombia didn’t just want another president. It wanted, among other things, a different relationship with Israel. Yesterday, in Cali, the rebuilding of that relationship began.