The South American nation is barely the second nation to recognise Israel’s claims over the illegally annexed Syrian territory.
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Colombia has change into solely the second nation to recognise Israel’s declare of sovereignty over the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, simply days after far-right President Abelardo de la Espriella took energy.
Colombia’s International Ministry made the announcement on Monday, becoming a member of the United States as the one different nation to recognise Israel’s annexation of the territory in 1981.
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“The Authorities of Colombia recognises Israeli sovereignty over this territory, in addition to that State’s proper to guard itself in opposition to exterior threats,” learn a press release printed on X.
“Colombia recognises that sustaining Israel’s management and sovereignty over the Golan Heights is an integral part of its nationwide defence,” it added.
Israeli International Minister Gideon Saar thanked his “good pal” de la Espriella for the “historic” recognition.
He stated the pair had agreed on the transfer within the Colombian metropolis of Barranquilla a day earlier than de la Espriella’s inauguration.
Israel captured a lot of the Golan Heights from Syria through the 1967 Six-Day Warfare, earlier than illegally annexing the territory in 1981. The transfer was rejected by a lot of the worldwide group, though the US formally recognised Israel’s declare in 2019 throughout President Donald Trump’s first time period in workplace.
The United Nations recognises the area as part of Syria, and final month, UN Secretary-Basic Antonio Guterres reiterated that stance, describing Israeli occupation as “completely unacceptable”.
Syria tried to regain the Golan within the 1973 Arab-Israeli warfare, however was thwarted. Israel and Syria signed an armistice in 1974, and the Golan has been comparatively quiet since.
Colombia’s recognition of the Israeli declare comes as Israel expands its navy footprint in Syria following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s authorities in December 2024. Israel has moved troops right into a UN-monitored buffer zone and seized strategic territories, together with the Syrian aspect of Jabal al-Sheikh (Mount Hermon), which overlooks the capital, Damascus.
De La Espriella, the new Colombian president, ran a bombastic marketing campaign throughout which he promised shut relations with the US and Israel as a technique to fight armed teams in his nation.
The US-backed millionaire has promised to revive Bogota’s ties with Israel after his predecessor, Gustavo Petro, criticised Israel’s genocidal warfare on Gaza, severed diplomatic relations and halted Israeli arms imports.
De La Espriella has additionally cancelled Petro’s plans to open an embassy in Ramallah within the occupied West Financial institution.
