Latin America’s Shift Toward Israel Gains Momentum
When Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar announced on October 8 that Colombia would move its embassy to Jerusalem, he emphasized the diplomatic significance of the decision and suggested it marked a warming of ties with Latin American governments. “We will work hard because this is the diplomatic battle over the truth,” Saar said. “The truth is, Jerusalem was always the capital of one nation.” He added that Brazil could soon join Colombia and other countries in relocating their embassies to the contested city claimed by both Israelis and Palestinians.
The region’s relationship with Israel is changing as right‑wing parties gain power and pro‑Israel politicians use the alliance to attract voters. In Brazil, the largest nation in Latin America, the presidential race has turned the Israel issue into a central theme. Left‑wing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a staunch supporter of Palestine, faces a tight contest with right‑wing Senator Flávio Bolsonaro. Lula has displayed Israeli flags at campaign events and highlighted his friendship with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The two are set for a run‑off after Bolsonaro’s surprisingly strong first‑round performance, raising hopes for a détente with Israeli officials such as the foreign minister.
Last month, Colombia and Israel began allowing visa‑free travel for each other’s citizens, a move that signals the new administration of President Abelardo de la Espriella’s intent to restore ties severed after Israel’s war in Gaza. Experts say the realignment is partly driven by leaders seeking to align with the United States under President Donald Trump, and also by a vigorous lobbying effort from evangelical Christian groups and Israeli‑backed organizations in the region.
“It is not one factor or the other, but a convergence,” said Marta Tawil Kuri, research professor at the Center for International Studies at the College of Mexico. “Right‑wing leaderships seeking validation from Washington, evangelical bases giving them electoral and ideological grounding, and an Israeli diplomatic offensive that finds fertile ground in Latin America as its image deteriorates elsewhere.”
Colombia’s previous president, Gustavo Petro, cut diplomatic ties with Israel over what he described as a genocidal war in Gaza. He halted coal exports, ended military cooperation and planned to open an embassy in Palestine, even joining a New York protest against the war at a United Nations summit. His successor, de la Espriella, quickly reversed those policies after taking office in August, announcing the embassy move to Jerusalem, re‑appointing ambassadors and recognizing Israeli control of the Golan Heights.
Strong presidential systems and relatively weak diplomatic corps allow new heads of state to pivot quickly on issues such as Israel, Kuri noted. “Unlike the United States, where support for Israel remains relatively stable across administrations because of more consolidated institutions and bipartisan consensus, in much of Latin America foreign policy can swing sharply from one election to the next because that institutional buffer doesn’t exist,” she explained.
In 2023, Argentina elected right‑wing populist Javier Milei, who pledged to move the embassy to Jerusalem, refused to recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations and declared himself “proud to be the most Zionist president in the world.” In Bolivia, the leftist government of Evo Morales had avoided full diplomatic ties with Israel, a stance continued by President Luis Arce, who recalled his ambassador after the October 7, 2023 attacks. After Arce’s defeat, his successor Rodrigo Paz reinstated the ambassador.
Chile’s new president, José Antonio Kast, who took office in August, also reversed his predecessor’s anti‑Israel measures and appointed an ambassador who describes himself as a “proud Zionist.” In Honduras, right‑wing President Nasry Asfura, whose grandparents emigrated from Bethlehem, reappointed an ambassador to Israel earlier this year. In August, Venezuela announced the restoration of consular relations with Israel, ending nearly two decades of hostility that began under Nicolás Maduro and Hugo Chávez.