Colombia has become only the second country in the world to recognise Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights (a strategic plateau seized from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War and illegally annexed by Israel in 1981), joining the United States, which made the same recognition in 2019 under President Donald Trump. The announcement, made Monday by Colombia's Foreign Ministry, came just days after far-right President Abelardo de la Espriella took office, and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar confirmed the move had been agreed upon with de la Espriella ahead of his inauguration. The decision marks a sharp diplomatic reversal for Colombia, whose previous government under Gustavo Petro had severed ties with Israel over its military campaign in Gaza; it also defies the position of the United Nations, which continues to regard the Golan Heights as Syrian territory.