Colombia to Open Embassy in Ramallah in Recognition of Palestine

Orinoco Tribune, May 23, 2024 —

The government of Colombia will open an embassy in the city of Ramallah, located in the West Bank, Palestine, as part of its actions to recognize the legitimacy and sovereignty of the state of Palestine. This process began in 2018 during the administration of former president Juan Manuel Santos.

President Petro also recently led a Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) meeting of regional presidents in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines where the delegations agreed to take “action to ensure that Palestine is recognized as a state with full rights in the United Nations.”

Colombia’s Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo recalled that together with Brazil, Colombia managed to bring to the UN Security Council, and then to the General Assembly of the organization, the issue of recognition of Palestine as a state with full rights. “We are sure that more and more countries will recognize Palestine,” he added.

The Colombian foreign minister said that these actions have “nothing against Israel or the people of Israel or the Jews,” but rather obey the agreements reached through the UN so that the conflict between both nations is resolved through the creation and recognition of two sovereign states, an option that is not fully supported by many in Palestine.

At the beginning of May, Colombian President Gustavo Petro decided to break relations with Israel, stating that Colombia could not stand by and observe genocide, this in reference to the genocidal bombings carried out by the Israeli entity against defenseless Palestinians. So far, more that 35,000 Palestinian civilians have been killed in less than eight months; 70% of them are women and children.