De la Espriella dismantles Petro's foreign policy and embraces Israel and Morocco upon taking power

Abelardo de la Espriella has needed barely three days in the Presidency to execute one of the biggest recent shifts in Colombian foreign policy. The new ultrarightist president has frozen diplomatic relations with the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic and has recognized Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights, a Syrian territory occupied since 1967.

The two decisions break with the Gustavo Petro era and bring Colombia closer to Morocco, Israel, and the United States. They also place the country against the United Nations' position on two territorial conflicts that have remained open for decades.

De la Espriella came to power last Friday with the promise of undoing much of his predecessor's legacy. His Government has started with foreign policy. The Foreign Ministry has backed Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara and has made Colombia the second country in the world to recognize the Israeli annexation of the Golan Heights, after the United States.

Colombia turns its back on the Sahrawi Republic

The first rupture affects the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that Colombia is suspending all political and diplomatic contacts, the exchange of missions, and any support for the SADR in multilateral organizations.

The decision also extends to the United Nations Security Council, where Colombia currently holds one of the seats reserved for non-permanent members. The Executive justifies the change by its intention to revitalize relations with Morocco and expand commercial, tourism, port, and logistical cooperation between both countries.

The Foreign Ministry maintains that the United Nations lacks recognition of the SADR as a member state. This argument, however, leaves out an essential part of the conflict. The UN has kept Western Sahara on its list of non-self-governing territories pending decolonization since 1963 and recognizes the right of the Sahrawi people to decide their future through self-determination.

The new Government directly assumes Rabat's position and recognizes Moroccan sovereignty over the entire territory. Morocco controls around 80% of Western Sahara since the Spanish withdrawal in 1975, while the Polisario Front claims independence and leads the Sahrawi Republic from the Tindouf refugee camps.

The shift reverses one of the first measures adopted by Petro in August 2022. The previous president re-established relations with the SADR, frozen since 2001, and maintained a policy favorable to Sahrawi self-determination during his mandate.

The Polisario Front has described De la Espriella's decision as "an unfortunate staging of a transactional pact". Its representative for Latin America, Mohamed Zrug, believes that Colombia is legitimizing a military occupation and acting against the principles of international law.

The Sahrawi organization has also pointed out a possible contradiction with the Colombian Constitution itself. Its article 9 establishes that the country's foreign relations are based on the self-determination of peoples and respect for international principles.

Colombia stands with Trump in the Golan Heights

The second move has opened a diplomatic crisis with Arab countries. Colombia has recognized Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights, the Syrian plateau occupied by the Israeli Army during the Six-Day War of 1967 and unilaterally annexed in 1981.

The United Nations Security Council declared that annexation "null and void of international legal validity" through Resolution 497. Until now, only the United States had departed from that consensus after Donald Trump recognized Israeli sovereignty in 2019.

The Colombian Government argues that control of the Golan represents an essential element for Israel's security. The statement recalls the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, and defends the right of the Israeli State to protect itself against external threats.

The decision had been agreed upon before the earthquake. The Foreign Ministry itself acknowledges that it responds to a commitment reached with Israel on Saturday, August 8, during the first contacts of the new Executive. Gideon Saar, Israeli Foreign Minister, attended De la Espriella's inauguration and met with him in Barranquilla the day before the swearing-in.

Saar has celebrated the recognition as a "historic" decision and has publicly thanked his "good friend" De la Espriella for the gesture. Benjamin Netanyahu has also released a video to thank the Colombian president for his support and assure that the Israeli flag will continue to fly over the Golan Heights.

The response from the Arab world has been immediate. Syria, the Arab League, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia have rejected the recognition and have accused Colombia of violating international law. Damascus considers the Golan an inseparable part of its territory and has announced that it will use all diplomatic and legal avenues at its disposal to defend its sovereignty.

The measure is part of a much broader reconstruction of relations between Bogotá and Israel. De la Espriella intends to move the Colombian Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, resume coal exports, strengthen security and intelligence cooperation, and withdraw Colombia from the genocide procedure against Israel before the International Court of Justice.

Petro had broken diplomatic relations in May 2024 in response to the Israeli offensive on Gaza. De la Espriella promised during the campaign to reverse that policy and has begun to fulfill it from his first hours in the Casa de Nariño.

The announcements have come as Colombia faces the consequences of the magnitude 7.4 earthquake that shook the west of the country on Monday. The toll already exceeds 220 dead and hundreds injured, with rescue teams working among the rubble and several cities subjected to restrictions and curfews.

The president declared a national disaster situation, mobilized the Army, and traveled to some of the affected areas. He has also received criticism after appearing smiling and blowing kisses before an appearance dedicated to reporting on the tragedy.

The diplomatic agreements were prepared before the earthquake, although the Chancellery withheld their publication during the first hours of the emergency. Israel celebrates the shift as a historic triumph, while Syria and the Polisario Front demand that Colombia rectify decisions that De la Espriella keeps intact.