Colombia's far-right government waives visas for Israel
Colombia and Israel will abolish visa requirements for each other’s citizens from 1 September, in the latest pro-Israel shift by Bogota’s new far-right government.
Israel’s foreign ministry announced the decision on Thursday following talks between Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and his Colombian counterpart, Omar Bula Escobar.
The agreement opens Colombia more widely to Israeli visitors at a time when Israeli tourists, including many serving soldiers, face growing backlash abroad over Israel’s genocide in Gaza and its apartheid system in the occupied West Bank.
The visa waiver is part of President Abelardo de la Espriella’s rapid dismantling of the foreign policy pursued by his predecessor, Gustavo Petro.
Petro severed diplomatic relations with Israel in May 2024, describing its assault on Gaza as a “genocide” and a “crime against humanity”. His government also backed international legal efforts to hold Israel and its officials accountable, including the genocide case before the International Court of Justice.
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At the International Criminal Court, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also faces an arrest warrant for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the war on Gaza.
De la Espriella has moved sharply in the opposite direction since taking office on 7 August.
In July, Sa’ar and Bula Escobar agreed in Washington on a roadmap to restore diplomatic and economic relations, exchange ambassadors and expand bilateral cooperation. Colombia’s new government has also announced plans to open an embassy in Jerusalem.
Bogota has since recognised Israel’s sovereignty over the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, joining the United States as the only other country to endorse Israeli annexation of the territory.
Israel seized most of the Golan Heights from Syria in 1967 and imposed its laws on the territory in 1981. United Nations Security Council Resolution 497 declared the move “null and void and without international legal effect”.
Colombia has also recognised Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, abandoning Petro’s support for the Sahrawi people and aligning Bogota with another foreign policy priority shared by Israel and the US.
Together, the visa agreement, the Jerusalem embassy plan and the recognition of territorial annexations represent a sweeping realignment in less than two weeks.
The decisions have repositioned Colombia as one of Israel’s closest political partners in Latin America even as it continues attacking Gaza and expanding settlements across occupied Palestinian territory.
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