Bogotá.- The outgoing president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, received this Tuesday the credentials of the Palestinian ambassador, Suad Ahmad Hasan Sobeh, an act that strengthens the bilateral relationship just ten days before the president leaves office and is replaced by Abelardo de la Espriella, who has announced a shift in foreign policy toward Israel.
In addition to the Palestinian diplomat, Petro received the credentials of the ambassador of Venezuela, Ramón Maniglia Ferreira, and the ambassador of Turkey, Emir Salim Yüksel, the Presidency reported.
The arrival of the new Palestinian representative coincides with the president-elect’s announcement that, after taking office on August 7, he will restore the “historic alliance with Israel,” broken by Petro on May 1, 2024, in rejection of the Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip, following the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023.
De la Espriella’s announcements
For his part, the president-elect said last Sunday, while announcing the closure of at least 14 embassies, that he will also suspend the opening of the mission in Palestine, based in Ramallah, the Palestinian administrative capital, whose creation Petro ordered days after breaking relations with Israel, but which he never finalized.
De la Espriella also confirmed that he will move the Colombian embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a decision previously announced by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, and assured that his government will restore the bilateral relationship with that country.
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The historical relationship that the Petro Government unilaterally broke will be strengthened once again. “Colombia will recover its allies, its diplomatic word, and its place as a reliable partner in the world,” the president-elect stated at the time.
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Petro also suspended Colombian coal exports to Israel in 2024, one of the main buyers of that mineral.
Until then, Israel had been one of Colombia’s main allies in terms of security and defense, as well as an important technological partner and arms supplier to the country.
