Israeli FM Heads to Colombia, Ecuador as Latin America Ties Grow

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has embarked on a trip to Colombia and Ecuador, becoming the first Israeli foreign minister to visit Ecuador in 44 years.

Saar will attend Friday's inauguration of Colombia's hard-right president-elect Abelardo de la Espriella. He also recently spoke to Peru's conservative president-elect, Keiko Fujimori.

"Through determined and systematic diplomatic efforts, we have succeeded in strengthening and renewing Israel's relations with many countries across Latin America," Saar said.

De la Espriella, a close ally of US President Donald Trump, has said he will move Colombia's embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem — a step taken by the US but otherwise only by a limited number of smaller nations.

It marks a major shift from outgoing Colombian president Gustavo Petro, a leftist who severed ties with Israel over its campaign in the Gaza Strip.

Israel considers Jerusalem to be its eternal and undivided capital, a status not recognised by most of the international community due to Palestinian claims to the holy city.

Argentine President Javier Milei is another outspoken supporter of Israel and has also promised to move his country's embassy to Jerusalem. The shift has not yet taken place, however, reportedly due to disagreement over an Israeli company's plans to drill in the British-ruled Falkland Islands, which Argentina claims and calls the Malvinas.

Israel's inroads in Latin America come as it faces intense criticism in much of the world, including in major European nations, over the devastating war in Gaza, launched in response to Hamas's massive Oct 7, 2023 attack.