Colombia’s incoming administration under President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella will pull the country out of South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, JNS reported Friday.
The policy shift was confirmed Friday by Israel’s Foreign Ministry following a Wednesday meeting in Washington between Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and Colombia’s designated foreign minister, Omar Bula.
Israeli officials stated that de la Espriella’s office framed the pullout as a commitment for Colombia to “return to a responsible position in the international arena” once the incoming leader takes office on August 7.
South Africa originally lodged its complaint at the UN’s principal judicial arm in late 2023, alleging that Israel’s military response against Hamas in Gaza violated the Genocide Convention.
Several other countries have since joined the lawsuit. Cuba, Nicaragua, Mexico, Libya, Bolivia, Turkey, the Maldives, Chile, Spain and Ireland joined the case inaddition to Colombia. The Palestinian Authority did so as well.
Israel has rejected those claims as baseless, maintaining that its actions were taken in self-defense following Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, terror attacks in southern Israel. The ICJ granted an extension in May, setting Pretoria’s next filing deadline for Nov. 22, 2027, and Israel’s response deadline for May 22, 2029.
Colombia’s decision to withdraw from the court case is part of the the upcoming government’s moves to reverse the anti-Israel policies of outgoing President Gustavo Petro, an outspoken critic of Israel who.
In May of 2024, Gustavo severed ties with Israel over the conflict in Gaza. Petro later ordered the opening of an embassy in Ramallah.
During their Washington discussions, Sa’ar and Bula agreed to reinstate full diplomatic and commercial links, which includes exchanging ambassadors. Bula confirmed that Colombia intends to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and establish an embassy there.
Preliminary arrangements to appoint a new envoy to Bogotá are already underway following a phone call between Sa’ar and de la Espriella in June.
According to the Israeli Foreign Ministry, both nations are coordinating the new accords to rapidly rebuild their historical relationship immediately following de la Espriella’s inauguration.
(Arutz Sheva-Israel National News’ North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)
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