Colombia recognizes Israel’s sovereignty over the Syrian Golan Heights

Colombia announced this Monday its recognition of Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights, territory that this country seized from Syria during the Six-Day War (1967) and the Yom Kippur War (1973) and that it effectively annexed in 1981, a decision that comes weeks after announcing the reestablishment of its diplomatic relations with the Israeli authorities.

The Government of Abelardo de la Espriella has taken this measure alleging “the strategic importance” of this territory for the “security” of Israel and the “persistent instability” in the Middle East, for which it has defended “the right of that State to protect itself against external threats.”

“For decades, Israel has faced persistent and existential security challenges along its borders. These threats have intensified significantly in recent years, culminating in the horrific terrorist attacks of October 7, which highlighted the severity and changing nature of the dangers facing the Israeli people,” the Colombian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

In this sense, the diplomatic portfolio has defended that the “maintenance of Israel’s control and sovereignty over the Golan Heights” is “essential” for its defense and “its ability to protect and safeguard its citizens.”

The Ministry headed by Omar Bula Escobar has stressed that, “with this decision, Colombia reaffirms its commitment to the search for a stable and lasting peace in the Middle East”, although the annexation of the Golan Heights by Israel is a movement not recognized by the international community.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel, Gideon Saar, has expressed his gratitude to De la Espriella, whom he described as a “good friend”, and to his Colombian counterpart for a decision that he considered “historic”.

“With this, the president of Colombia has demonstrated, in one of his first decisions in office, his leadership, his values ​​and his commitment to Israel and Israel’s security. Israel is a small country without strategic depth. Having defensible borders is essential for Israel in order to guarantee the existence of the Jewish people in their historical homeland,” he noted on his social networks.

The head of Israeli diplomacy has indicated that this measure is the result of the meeting he had with the Colombian president in Barranquilla last Thursday and has assured that he will continue working so that more countries join the United States and Colombia “in the recognition of Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan, on which Israeli law was applied 45 years ago.”

The announcement comes days after the authorities of Colombia and Israel resumed their diplomatic relations, broken in May 2024 by the then Colombian president, Gustavo Petro, in response to accusations against the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip.