JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Israel and Colombia inaugurated Colombia’s new embassy in Jerusalem on Wednesday, a step Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar called an important and historic day for bilateral relations and for Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

Sa’ar joined Colombian Foreign Minister Omar Bula Escobar at the ceremony to open the mission. In a post on X, Sa’ar noted that Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella had told him in Buenos Aires, well before his election, that if elected he would immediately move Colombia’s embassy to Jerusalem. “He promised — and fulfilled,” Sa’ar wrote.

The opening makes Colombia the 10th country to locate its embassy in Jerusalem. Sa’ar said the number of embassies in the city has doubled since he took office less than two years ago, and he expressed hope that more would follow soon.

The move reverses actions taken under former Colombian President Gustavo Petro. In May 2024, Petro severed diplomatic relations with Israel over its military operations in Gaza, closed Colombia’s embassy in Tel Aviv, and recalled its ambassador. De la Espriella, who took office in August, restored ties, and the two countries reinstated a free trade agreement earlier this week.

Most countries keep their embassies to Israel in Tel Aviv. Israel considers Jerusalem its undivided capital, while Palestinians seek East Jerusalem as the capital of a future state. The city’s status remains a core issue in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Several countries, including the United States, have relocated their embassies to Jerusalem since the U.S. move in 2018.

Sa’ar has described the rapid improvement in ties under the new Colombian government as reversing most of the negative effects of the previous administration and opening new areas of cooperation. The embassy is led by Colombian Ambassador Tania Gilinski. Israel’s ambassador to Colombia, Vivian Aisen, also attended related events.

The inauguration follows earlier agreements between the two foreign ministers to fully restore diplomatic and economic relations and exchange ambassadors.