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Colombia–Israel relations

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Colombia-Israel relations
Map indicating locations of Colombia and Israel

Colombia
Israel

Colombia–Israel relations are the diplomatic relations between Colombia and Israel which were officially established in the mid-1950s, however, diplomatic relations were severed in 2024 by Colombia as a result of the Israel–Hamas war.[1]

General

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In an article in the Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs, Marcos Peckel, a Colombian scholar noted that Colombian-Israeli relations can be looked through the lenses of military cooperation, trade links, education and culture, and recognition of Palestine.[2] Militarily, Colombia was one of the first countries to give Israel weapons and engage in arms deals, which has since been an ongoing bilateral agreement. Since, Israel and Colombia have shared intelligence, and as Peckel explains, several pieces of Israeli technology. Trade-wise, too, both countries have a strong relationship. The Free Trade Agreement, a pending agreement between Colombia and Israel, has the potential to further strengthen these relationships by boosting Colombian imports in Israel and increasing the presence of Israeli technology in Colombia. The spheres of education and culture between Colombia and Israel are deeply interwoven through Israeli scholarships to Colombians and a presence of media in each country.

History

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In 1947, during a United Nations General Assembly session, General Assembly Resolution 181 recommended the partition of British Mandate Palestine into one Jewish and one Arab state. Colombia abstained.[3]

In the mid-1950s both countries officially established diplomatic relations and set up embassies in Bogotá and Tel Aviv respectively.[4] Relations improved tremendously in 1988 when major trade agreements[which?] were signed between Israel and Colombia. A Free Trade agreement was signed on 10 June 2013. However, it has not yet been ratified by Colombia and therefore is not yet in force.[5] This agreement reduces tariffs on industrial and agricultural products between the two countries, and enable Israeli companies and individuals to invest with greater ease in the Colombia economy, considered to be second biggest economy of South America. Israeli exports to Colombia totaled some US$143 million in 2012, and consisted mostly of communications equipment, machinery, electrical and mechanical devices and chemical products.[6]

Colombia also supports the aspiration of the Palestinian people to establish themselves as a free and independent state in the region. Additionally, Israel is Colombia's main partner in the region and is Colombia's second largest trading partner in South America after Brazil. Bilateral relations have deepened through high-level visits in recent history.[7]

On 13 September 2017, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paid an official visit to Colombia.[8]

Israeli President Isaac Herzog welcomed Colombian President Iván Duque on a state visit to Israel in November 2021. Hosting Duque at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem, Herzog commended Colombia’s support for Israel and expressed his hopes to boost their bilateral trading relationship. At the state dinner, Herzog paid tribute to Duque's leadership in fighting "terror and rogue organizations affiliated with Iran and narco organizations." During the state visit, Duque inaugurated a Colombian innovation office in Jerusalem, a step that President Herzog welcomed in their joint statements.[9][10]

On May 2, 2024, president Gustavo Petro announced Colombia would break diplomatic ties with Israel, describing Israel's siege of Gaza as a "genocide."[11]

Technological cooperation

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Colombia has purchased planes, drones, weapons and intelligence systems from Israel.[12]

Palestine

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Until 2018, Colombia was one of the few remaining governments in Latin America that did not recognize Palestine as a state.[13]

"Colombia supports the establishment of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel within mutually agreed-upon borders. It considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal but strongly condemns Palestinian terrorism, and it advocates for a lasting peace based on the two-state solution".[14] On resolutions in the UN General Assembly that compared Zionism to racism and wanted to establish a "right to return" for Palestinians, Colombia abstained. In 2018, Colombia officially recognized the State of Palestine. Despite creating a bump in the relations between the countries, the two countries re-established strong relations.

Colombia's military has numerous weapon and ammunition types produced and/or maintained by Israel, including the Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Spike missile, Israel Weapons Industries-made 5.56mm Galil automatic rifle machine gun and 7.62mm Galil sniper rifle, Rafael Python-3 and Python-4, Israel Aerospace Industries Kfir fighter jets, and has signed up for the Barak MX air defense system.[15] On 15 October 2023 Israel halted all security exports to Colombia due to remarks of Colombian president Gustavo Petro comparing the Israeli military to Nazis following the Israel–Hamas war.[16] The Guardian called it a "ferocious diplomatic spat".[17] Colombia recalled its ambassador from Israel in condemnation of Israel’s bombardment of Palestinian civilians in Gaza.[18]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Colombia to Sever Ties With Israel Over Gaza War
  2. ^ Peckel, Marcos (2019). "Colombia and Israel: Toward a Special Relationship". Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs. 13 (3): 353–363. doi:10.1080/23739770.2019.1727222. S2CID 216470716.
  3. ^ facts of Israel: United Nations, 1947, Resolution 181 approves the creation of Israel, the Jewish State
  4. ^ (in Spanish) Israeli embassy in Colombia: Israel and Colombia
  5. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 27 August 2016. Retrieved 12 May 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. ^ Fiske, Gavriel (10 June 2013). "Israel, Colombia sign free trade agreement". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  7. ^ "| Embajada de Colombia en Israel". Archived from the original on 30 October 2020. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  8. ^ Ahren, Raphael (14 September 2017). "Netanyahu arrives in Colombia, looks to help post-conflict efforts". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  9. ^ "Herzog asks Colombian president to crack down on Iran in IAEA". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 8 November 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  10. ^ Baruch, Hezki (8 November 2021). "Colombian President seeks to upgrade ties with Israel". Israel National News. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  11. ^ Cobb, Julia Symmes (1 May 2024). "Colombia President Petro says will break diplomatic relations with Israel". Reuters.
  12. ^ "Colombia hostage rescue: the Israeli angle - Haaretz - Israel News". Archived from the original on 27 March 2010. Retrieved 20 June 2009.
  13. ^ "WJC hails Colombia over opposition to Palestinian statehood". The Jerusalem Post. 31 March 2011. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  14. ^ Peckel, Marcos (2019). "Colombia and Israel: Toward a Special Relationship". Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs. 13 (3): 353–363. doi:10.1080/23739770.2019.1727222. S2CID 216470716.
  15. ^ Israel suspends defense sales to Colombia, José Higuera, Defense News, 2023-10-19
  16. ^ "Israel halts security exports to Colombia as president likens IDF to Nazis". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  17. ^ Phillips, Tom (16 October 2023). "Israel and Colombia in ferocious diplomatic spat over Hamas war". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  18. ^ "'Genocide', Colombia says as Latin American states condemn Israel over Gaza". Al Jazeera. 2 November 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
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