Sa’ar Heads to Colombia and Ecuador as Israel Deepens Ties With Latin America

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar is on a diplomatic trip to Colombia and Ecuador, the Foreign Ministry announced on Wednesday, August 5, as Israel looks to cultivate ties with Latin American nations headed by right-wing leaders. Sa’ar flew first to Miami, where he met with local US Jewish leaders and noted a recent ruling by a Palm Beach County judge that threw out a lawsuit challenging the county’s $1 billion Israel bond investment.

He then arrived in Ecuador on Wednesday, August 5, marking the first visit to the country by an Israeli foreign minister in 44 years. In Quito, Sa’ar was set to meet Ecuador’s foreign minister and deliver joint statements honoring Manuel Antonio Muñoz Borrero, the Ecuadorian diplomat recognized as Righteous Among the Nations for issuing Ecuadorian passports to European Jews in 1941. Sa’ar was also scheduled to meet President Daniel Noboa, visit parliament, and meet members of Ecuador’s Jewish community.

Sa’ar will then fly to Colombia to attend the inauguration of the country’s new president, Abelardo de la Espriella, on Friday, August 7, where he will also meet leaders from across Central and South America. De la Espriella has pledged to renew a strategic alliance with the State of Israel and to open an embassy in Jerusalem, and has announced that Colombia will withdraw its intervention in the genocide case against Israel at The Hague. “We are continuing our effort to bring Latin America closer to Israel,” Sa’ar said. “Israel and its citizens will benefit from this in every sphere, diplomatically, economically and through tourism.”

(TOI/VFI News)

“Praise the Lord, all you nations; extol Him, all you peoples.” – Psalm 117:1