Colombia became the second country to recognise Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. Israel welcomed the move, while Syria and Saudi Arabia objected on international-law grounds.
Geopolitics··Evening
Bogota changes direction on foreign policy
Colombia's Foreign Ministry recognised Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, describing continued Israeli control as an essential component of Israel's national defence. The decision came days after President Abelardo de la Espriella took office and made Colombia the second country to take this step. Until then, only the United States had recognised the annexation. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called the decision historic; according to Al Jazeera, Saar and de la Espriella agreed on the position in Barranquilla before the inauguration. The move also marks a clear break with the previous Colombian administration. Former President Gustavo Petro suspended diplomatic relations with Israel in 2024. Bogota's decision therefore carries two immediate meanings within the reporting: it changes Colombia's stated position on the territory and offers an early indication that the new government is reversing its predecessor's approach to relations with Israel.[1]
The legal ground beneath the status dispute
The Golan's current status sits at the centre of the responses to Colombia's decision. Israel took the territory from Syria in the 1967 war and began applying its own law there in 1981. The United Nations continues to regard the Golan as occupied Syrian land. Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry said Colombia's recognition contravened the UN Charter and Security Council Resolution 497 of 1981, and called on Bogota to reconsider its August 10 decision. According to Riyadh's statement, such positions do not contribute to peace, entrench a fait accompli and weaken regional efforts. Syria's Foreign Ministry rejected the move on the same day and restated its position that the Golan is an inseparable part of Syrian territory. These objections identify a direct divide between Colombia's bilateral diplomatic choice and the existing UN treatment of the territory, rather than a change in the international organisation's formal position.[2], [1]
Two recognitions against a broader UN majority
With Colombia's move, the number of states recognising Israeli sovereignty over the Golan rose to 2. Damascus, by contrast, pointed out that support for the annual UN General Assembly resolution on the Syrian Golan increased from 97 countries in 2024 to 123 in 2025. The figures describe different diplomatic levels: one counts individual bilateral recognition decisions, while the other reflects a broader position expressed through the United Nations. For Israel, Colombia's decision is new diplomatic support after the United States and a visible result of its relationship with the incoming government. For Syria and Saudi Arabia, it represents movement away from the prevailing international-law approach and raises concern about a precedent for similar decisions. The reports offer no indication that another state is preparing to follow Colombia. Colombia's defence rationale does not close that divide: the decision offers no multilateral arrangement replacing the UN's treatment of the area as occupied Syrian land. Saudi Arabia's call for reconsideration and Syria's rejection show that the dispute will continue to turn on the gap between bilateral recognition and the prevailing international position. The immediate result is therefore greater visibility for the diplomatic divide over the territory, without evidence that Bogota's decision has changed the Golan's formal treatment at the United Nations.[2], [1]
