Colombia has become the second country to recognise Israel’s claim of sovereignty over the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, after the United States. The Foreign Ministry announced the decision on Monday, days after President Abelardo de la Espriella took office.
The ministry said Colombia recognised Israeli sovereignty over the territory and Israel’s right to protect itself against external threats. It also called Israeli control of the Golan Heights an essential part of Israel’s national defence.
What Colombia announced
Colombia’s statement joins the United States as the only other country identified in the source as recognising Israel’s annexation of the Golan Heights. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar thanked de la Espriella and described the decision as historic.
Saar said the two governments had agreed on the move in Barranquilla one day before de la Espriella’s inauguration. The Colombian president campaigned on closer relations with the United States and Israel as part of his approach to combating armed groups in Colombia.
Why the Golan Heights is disputed
Israel captured most of the Golan Heights from Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed the territory in 1981. Most of the international community rejected that move. The United States recognised Israel’s claim in 2019 during Donald Trump’s first term.
The United Nations considers the Golan Heights part of Syria. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reiterated that position last month, calling the Israeli occupation “totally unacceptable.” Syria’s attempt to regain the territory during the 1973 Arab-Israeli war was unsuccessful, and Israel and Syria signed an armistice in 1974.
The decision’s wider context
Colombia’s recognition follows Israel’s expansion of its military presence in Syria after the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s government in December 2024. Israel has moved troops into a UN-monitored buffer zone and seized strategic territory, including the Syrian side of Jabal al-Sheikh, also known as Mount Hermon, which overlooks Damascus.
De la Espriella has promised to restore Colombia’s ties with Israel after former President Gustavo Petro criticised Israel’s war in Gaza, severed diplomatic relations and halted Israeli arms imports. De la Espriella has also cancelled Petro’s plan to open an embassy in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.
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