Colombia sides with Morocco over Western Sahara as it aligns with Israeli foreign policy

Colombia’s newly elected far-right government has recognised Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, beginning its presidency with a raft of decisions that align Bogota with the foreign policy priorities of Israel and the United States.

Vice President Jose Manuel Restrepo and Foreign Minister Omar Bula Escobar announced the reversal after holding talks with Moroccan officials.

Escobar, in a post on X, said that Colombia “recognizes Morocco's sovereignty over its Sahara”.

Bogota also withdrew its recognition of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic and froze diplomatic relations with the territory’s independence movement, reversing former President Gustavo Petro’s restoration of ties in 2022.

Morocco has controlled most of Western Sahara since Spain withdrew from the territory in 1975.

The United Nations continues to classify it as a non-self-governing territory and supports the Sahrawi people’s right to determine their future.

US President Donald Trump recognised Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara in 2020 in exchange for Rabat establishing formal relations with Israel.

Colombia has now adopted the territorial settlement produced by that deal, making its decision part of a wider turn towards Washington and Israel and a sharp break from the foreign policy of former Colombian President Gustavo Petro.

Petro fiercely opposed Israel’s war on Gaza, calling it a “genocide” and a “crime against humanity”.

His government severed diplomatic relations with Israel in May 2024 and backed international legal efforts to hold Israeli officials accountable.

In contrast, the new Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella gathered members of his incoming government for a Christian retreat before taking power. Kneeling during the gathering, he said: “To build a great nation, we must put God at the centre of every decision.”

His government’s first foreign policy decisions have seemingly placed Israeli and US interests at the centre.

On Monday, as rescuers searched through rubble after Colombia’s deadliest earthquake in more than a decade, Bogota recognised Israel’s annexation of the occupied Syrian Golan Heights.

The magnitude 7.4 earthquake killed at least 250 people, injured more than 2,500 and left thousands missing.

On the same day, the foreign ministry found time to declare Israeli control of occupied Syrian land essential to Israel’s security.

Colombia joined the US as the only countries in the world to recognise Israel’s annexation of the Golan Heights.

Israel seized most of the territory from Syria in 1967 and imposed its laws there in 1981.

United Nations Security Council Resolution 497 declared that decision “null and void and without international legal effect”.

Syria sent formal letters of protest to the UN secretary-general and Security Council on Wednesday.

Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Palestine and Oman also condemned Bogota’s decision.