Sa’ar heads to Colombia, Ecuador as Israel warms ties with Latin America’s right
Foreign minister to attend inauguration of pro-Israel Colombian president, who has vowed to renew strategic alliance, open embassy in Jerusalem after predecessor cut ties over Gaza
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Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar is on a trip to Colombia and Ecuador as part of a diplomatic push in Latin America, according to a Foreign Ministry statement Wednesday, as Israel looks to cultivate ties with Latin American nations headed by right-wing leaders.
Sa’ar flew first to Miami, where he met with local US Jewish leaders. According to his office, Sa’ar noted a recent ruling by a Palm Beach County judge that threw out a lawsuit challenging the county’s $1 billion Israel bond investment.
He then arrived in Ecuador on Wednesday, marking the first visit to the country by an Israeli foreign minister in 44 years. In Quito, Sa’ar was set to meet Wednesday with Ecuador’s foreign minister, after which they were set to deliver joint statements and speeches honoring Manuel Antonio Muñoz Borrero, the Ecuadorian diplomat who was recognized as a Righteous among the Nations for issuing Ecuadorian passports to European Jews in 1941.
Sa’ar will also meet Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa, his office said. He will then head to parliament and will meet members of Ecuador’s Jewish community.
He will fly to Colombia Wednesday night, and attend the Friday inauguration of the country’s new president, Abelardo de la Espriella, where he will also meet with leaders from Central and South America, the ministry said.
Bogota’s relations with Jerusalem nosedived under Colombia’s first-ever leftist government led by President Gustavo Petro, an ardent critic of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, which he has cast as a genocide — a charge vehemently denied by Israel.
#VisitaOficial ???????????????????? | Ecuador continúa fortaleciendo su política exterior a través del diálogo y la cooperación internacional
???? El país se prepara para recibir al ministro de Relaciones Exteriores de Israel, Gideon Sa’ar, en una visita oficial que contempla una agenda… pic.twitter.com/IoPcxW2sWR
— Cancillería del Ecuador ???????? (@CancilleriaEc) August 4, 2026
Petro, who entered office in 2022, severed diplomatic ties, halted coal exports and suspended the purchase of weaponry from Israel — formerly one of Colombia’s main military partners.
De la Espriella has said he will reverse these decisions, and one of his main campaign pledges was to “renew a strategic alliance with the State of Israel,” open an embassy in Jerusalem, and “defend the Judeo-Christian principles that form the foundation of Western civilization.”
Colombia’s new right-wing government announced last month that the country will open an embassy in Jerusalem.
De la Espriella also announced that his country will withdraw its intervention in South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
Nicknamed “The Tiger,” de la Espriella holds dual Colombian and US citizenship. He’s a supporter of US President Donald Trump and a member of the American Republican Party. He has never held public office before and will take the reins from Petro in August.
“We are continuing our effort to bring Latin America closer to Israel,” said Sa’ar in a statement Wednesday. “Israel and its citizens will benefit from this in every sphere, diplomatically, economically and through tourism.”
Israel has made inroads in Latin America in recent years, despite soured ties with much of the world, as several countries in the region have experienced a right-wing shift amid economic discontent and rising violent crime.
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