South Americaupdated 23m ago3 min read
Egypt Summons Colombia Chargé d’Affaires Over Colombia’s Embassy Opening in East Jerusalem
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Egypt summoned the Colombian chargé d’affaires in Cairo to protest the Jerusalem embassy opening. Colombia inaugurated its embassy in Jerusalem, moving from Tel Aviv and restoring trade ties with Israel.
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Colombia opens embassy
Colombia opened its embassy to Israel in East Jerusalem last Wednesday, making it the tenth country to take this step, and Colombia’s Foreign Minister Óscar Iván Perea Escobar said the move was a "strong step toward restoring diplomatic relations" with Israel. Egypt announced it would summon the Colombian chargé d’affaires in Cairo to protest the opening, and the Egyptian official news agency said the step was a violation of international legitimacy resolutions and a "null act that has no legal effect." The sources tied Colombia’s decision to a break with Israel by former President Gustavo Petro, who cut ties in May 2024 in protest of the Israeli aggression on Gaza, closed the embassy, and summoned the ambassador.
The sources also placed the diplomatic dispute in the context of UN Security Council Resolution 478, with Colombia having informed the UN on August 28, 1980 of its decision to move its diplomatic mission from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv before moving it back about 46 years later. The sources described Israel’s position that Jerusalem, including its eastern and western parts, is its capital, while most countries do not recognize its sovereignty over the city in its entirety and Palestinian leadership insists on East Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state.
Cairo summons, 19 condemn
Egypt summoned the Colombian chargé d’affaires in Cairo on Friday, and an informed Egyptian source told MENA that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned him to express Egypt’s "strong protest and outright rejection" of Colombia inaugurating an embassy in occupied Jerusalem. The joint statement described the move as "an unacceptable unilateral step" that contradicts the city’s legal and historical status, and the statement said it "constitutes a clear violation of relevant UN Security Council resolutions." The sources said foreign ministers of 19 countries condemned Colombia’s opening of its embassy in Jerusalem and urged Colombia to reverse the decision, with the list including Turkey, Algeria, Djibouti, Indonesia, Palestine, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Egypt, Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Jordan, and Yemen.
The sources also tied the condemnation to UNSC resolutions 476 and 478 of 1980, with the ministers reaffirming that any measure aimed at changing the legal or historical status of occupied Jerusalem, or recognizing it as the capital of Israel, is "null and void" and carries "no legal effect." The sources said the ministers urged the Colombian government to "reconsider and retract this decision" and to refrain from measures that infringe on the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to establish an independent, sovereign Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Arab League and diplomacy
Palestine’s permanent representative to the Arab League, Ambassador Muhannad Al-Aklouk, praised Egypt’s protest over Colombia’s Jerusalem embassy and said Egypt’s positions reflected a commitment to international law and resolutions, Arab national security and the implementation of Arab League decisions. Al-Aklouk also commended Egypt’s "strong diplomatic move" to summon Colombia’s acting head of mission in Cairo and deliver a clear protest over Colombia’s opening of an embassy in Jerusalem, which he said violated international law and United Nations resolutions concerning the city’s legal status. The sources said the Arab League, meeting at the level of permanent representatives in an extraordinary session on October 13, called on member states to summon Colombia’s ambassadors and protest the illegal opening of the embassy in Jerusalem and its impact on bilateral relations with Colombia.
The sources described the diplomatic dispute as part of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict over Jerusalem, with Israel regarding the entire city as its capital and Palestinians claiming East Jerusalem occupied by Israel since 1967 as the capital of a future independent state. The sources said Colombia opened its embassy on Wednesday, and the opening was described as a shift from the foreign policy of former President Gustavo Petro, who cut diplomatic relations with Israel in 2024 in protest of Israel’s war in Gaza.