Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar departed on Wednesday for a diplomatic tour of Ecuador and Colombia as Israel strengthens ties with right-wing Latin American governments.
Saar is the first Israeli foreign minister to visit Ecuador in 44 years.
He is scheduled to attend the inauguration ceremony on Friday for Colombia's new president, Abelardo de la Espriella, a member of the hard right. Saar also held recent discussions with Peru's new right-wing president, Keiko Fujimori.
Saar expressed satisfaction with diplomatic progress in the region, stating that decisive and systematic efforts had allowed Israel to strengthen and renew relations with several Latin American countries.
Embassy Relocation to Jerusalem
Colombian President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella, an ally of Donald Trump, announced his intention to relocate Colombia's embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Moving an embassy to Jerusalem remains a rare step internationally, completed so far only by the United States and a small number of allies.
The planned move follows a major diplomatic shift in Bogota, where outgoing Social Democrat President Gustavo Petro severed diplomatic relations with Israel in 2024 over the war in the Gaza Strip.
Israel captured the eastern part of Jerusalem in 1967 and later annexed it, declaring the entire city its eternal and indivisible capital. The international community has never recognized the annexation and considers East Jerusalem occupied territory.
Bilateral Disputes and Gaza War Criticism
Argentine President Javier Milei, another close ally of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has also promised to move Argentina's embassy to Jerusalem.
That relocation has not occurred. Israeli press reports state the delay stems from a bilateral dispute over oil exploration plans by an Israeli company in the Malvinas, islands claimed by Argentina from Britain, where they are known as the Falklands.
The Israeli government considers these Latin American diplomatic efforts a success at a time when it faces intense international criticism over its military operations in the Gaza Strip since October 2023.
