Colombia Leaves Hague Group at Jerusalem Embassy Opening

Colombian Foreign Minister Omar Bula Escobar declared on Wednesday that his country is leaving the Hague Group, a bloc of states pressing for diplomatic, economic and legal steps against Israel in response to the Gaza war. Ynet reported that he made the announcement in Jerusalem, at a reception held at Israel's Foreign Ministry after Colombia inaugurated its new embassy in the city.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar were in the room. Bula Escobar called the evening a "historic event."

For Israelis and supporters of Israel abroad, the opening carries its own weight. Sa'ar noted that Colombia is now the 10th country to place its embassy in Jerusalem.

"Today I announce Colombia's withdrawal from the Hague Group, a group of countries that attacked Israel and worked to isolate it. We oppose that approach."

Bula Escobar admitted he was fighting back emotion. "I'm almost in tears at this event marking the restoration of relations with Israel, which should never have been severed," he said.

The turnaround in Bogotá came after Abelardo de la Espriella won the presidency and was sworn in in August, beating the political camp of former President Gustavo Petro. In 2024, Petro's government broke off diplomatic relations with Israel over the fighting in Gaza.

Bula Escobar also condemned the Hamas onslaught of October 7 in blunt terms. "The October 7 massacre was a barbaric attack carried out by despicable murderers from a culture of death," he said. "Colombia stands with the truth and with Israel."

He told the audience that on Tuesday he had met Elkana Bohbot, who survived captivity in Gaza as a Hamas hostage. "I presented him with a Colombian passport," he said. "The survivors are an inspiration to us all." The encounter, he added, brought home the failures of Bogotá's previous leadership. "The previous government in Colombia behaved disgracefully," he said. "They failed to condemn terrorism and opened the door to an ugly wave of antisemitism."

Among the guests were Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion, Tania Gilinski, Colombia's ambassador to Israel, and Vivian Aisen, Israel's ambassador to Colombia, along with foreign diplomats.

Netanyahu welcomed the renewed relationship and looked back on his outreach to Latin America. "No Israeli prime minister in 70 years of our history had traveled south of Texas," he said. He recalled trips to Colombia, Argentina and Mexico, and a later visit to Brazil. "The deep sympathy between our peoples is returning," he said. "We want to seize the future together, in agriculture, innovation and artificial intelligence."

Sa'ar framed the embassy as part of a wider fight. "Our diplomatic struggle is also a struggle for historical truth," he said. "We have no intention of relinquishing our rights in Jerusalem, which will remain Israel's united capital."

Colombia is not the first country to leave the bloc. JNS reported in March that Honduras and Bolivia had announced their departures from the Hague Group, a move Sa'ar praised at the time.

Israel and Colombia reinstated a free trade agreement on Tuesday. Petro had terminated that agreement.