Colombian Demonstrators Protest Government’s Renewed Relations with Israel

Hundreds gathered in Bogotá to denounce the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

Published On 8 Oct 20268 Oct 2026

Protesters gathered in Colombia’s capital to oppose the new far‑right government’s policy toward Israel.

On Wednesday, hundreds marched through Bogotá to protest both the ongoing genocide in Gaza and the Colombian government’s decision to reinstate diplomatic and economic ties with Israel.

The demonstrators, who started their rally outside the Israeli embassy in Bogotá, criticized President Abelardo de la Espriella’s decision to open a new Colombian embassy in Jerusalem.

The rally coincided with the third anniversary of the Hamas‑led attacks on October 7, 2023, which precipitated Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.

“When diplomatic relations with Israel were severed, the message was that we would not be a nation complicit in their atrocities,” said Nicolas Isaza, a protest participant, to Al Jazeera.

“Today our government is no longer drawing a line against the atrocities being committed in Palestine,” he added.

President Abelardo de la Espriella, sworn in last August, pledged close ties with the United States and Israel during his campaign, presenting them as a means to counter armed groups within the country.

Since then, Colombia’s government has restored relations with Israel, reversing former President Gustavo Petro’s decision to cut diplomatic ties and halt Israeli arms imports over his criticism of Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza.

The Colombian government also recognized Israel’s claim of sovereignty over the occupied Syrian Golan Heights only days after the new president assumed office.

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