Colombia’s president-elect vows to restore and expand ties with Israel

Colombia’s president-elect, Abelardo De la Espriela, said his country will have relations with Israel “like never before” once he takes office. He won Sunday’s presidential runoff by less than 1%, and campaigned on strengthening ties with both the United States and Israel.

His victory marks a sharp turn from outgoing left-wing President Gustavo Petro, whose government severed diplomatic relations with Israel, halted coal exports, and suspended arms purchases from Israel. The article says Petro, whom it describes as anti-Semitic and strongly supportive of Palestinian terror, called the war with Hamas a genocide. Before the rupture, Colombia depended on Israel for military equipment, intelligence systems and even fighter jets.

De la Espriela said he will reverse those decisions. Among his main campaign promises were to “renew the strategic alliance with the State of Israel,” open an embassy in Jerusalem, and “defend the Judeo-Christian principles that form the basis of Western civilization.” After a phone call with Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, he posted that “Colombia will rebuild and strengthen its relationship with the State of Israel like never before.”

Saar wrote that he had spoken with his “friend,” the president-elect of Colombia, and praised him as “a true friend of the Jewish people and the State of Israel.” He said he congratulated him on his “important election victory” and told him he hoped for a better future for Colombia. De la Espriela, who holds Colombian and American citizenship, supports Donald Trump and belongs to the U.S. Republican Party. He inherits a deeply divided country, and the left, which won nearly half the vote, is threatening major protests over his policies, including his pledge to restore ties with Israel.