Colombia’s new far-right regime recognizes Israeli occupation of Golan Heights

Colombia’s newly installed far-right regime on Monday formally recognized the Israeli regime’s so-called “sovereignty” over the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, a strategic Arab territory seized by force in the 1967 aggression and illegally annexed in 1981 in blatant violation of international law and countless United Nations resolutions.

In a shameful act of collusion with the Zionist entity’s decades-long aggression and expansionism, the Colombian Foreign Ministry, under the administration of President Abelardo de la Espriella, declared that it “recognizes Israeli sovereignty over this territory, as well as the right of that state to protect itself against external threats.”

The ministry further claimed that maintaining control of the plateau is an “essential component” of the Israeli regime’s national defense amid alleged regional instability.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar promptly thanked de la Espriella and Foreign Minister Omar Bula Escobar, hailing the move as a “historic decision” after recent meetings, including one in Barranquilla ahead of the new president’s inauguration.

This recognition makes Colombia only the second country in the world to endorse the Zionist regime’s illegal claim, following the United States under Donald Trump in 2019. The overwhelming majority of the international community, including the United Nations, continues to regard the Golan Heights as occupied Syrian territory and rejects any attempt to legitimize the acquisition of land by force.

The diplomatic betrayal comes as the Israeli regime has aggressively expanded its military footprint deep into Syrian territory following the collapse of the Assad government in December 2024. Tel Aviv unilaterally declared the 1974 disengagement agreement void and advanced into UN-monitored buffer zones, establishing new military bases and outposts despite Syria’s new administration affirming its commitment to existing treaties and international law.

De la Espriella, Colombia’s far-right leader who received strong backing from Trump during his campaign, has rapidly reversed the previous government’s progressive stance.

He recently ordered the suspension of a planned Colombian embassy in Palestine, a key initiative under former President Gustavo Petro, while advancing plans to relocate Colombia’s embassy to occupied Jerusalem and fully restore ties with the Zionist entity.

This decision represents a profound setback for the Palestinian cause and the broader struggle against occupation across West Asia. By aligning with the Zionist regime’s expansionist agenda, the new Colombian administration has chosen to side with the oppressors rather than the oppressed, undermining the rights of the Syrian and Palestinian peoples and emboldening further aggression in the region.

The Golan Heights remains an integral part of Syrian territory under illegal occupation. No amount of recognition by far-right regimes can alter the reality that the Zionist entity’s presence there is illegitimate and must end.

UN chief: Golan Heights belong to Syria, Israeli violations must end

The UN chief says the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights are Syrian territory and the Tel Aviv regime’s violations must stop.

Since late 2024, following the fall of president Bashar al-Assad government during an Israeli-backed onslaught overwhelming Syria, Israeli forces have advanced into a United Nations-designated Area of Separation created in 1974 after a UN-brokered ceasefire.

The 235-square-kilometer zone was originally intended as neutral territory to prevent escalation, patrolled by UN peacekeepers.

Most countries still reject Tel Aviv’s annexation of the broader Golan Heights, seized in 1967.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.ir