BOGOTA (Palestine Foundation Information Center) Colombia has officially appointed Jorge Iván Ospina as its ambassador to the Palestinian Authority, marking a significant step in the country’s evolving foreign policy in the Middle East.
The announcement came during a formal ceremony on Monday evening at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bogotá.
Colombian Foreign Minister Laura Sarabia confirmed that Ospina has officially assumed his diplomatic role in Ramallah, where he will serve as Colombia’s top representative to the State of Palestine.
Speaking at the event, Sarabia directly addressed the ongoing genocide in Gaza, declaring, “Silence in the face of genocide in Gaza cannot be an option. Our commitment to world peace and the defense of oppressed peoples throughout history will remain unchanged.”
“We cannot remain indifferent to the suffering of Palestine. In Gaza, people are not only dying from bombs, but also from hunger. Ospina will be Colombia’s voice in Palestine,” she added.
The move builds on a series of diplomatic decisions taken by Colombia in recent years. In 2018, then-President Juan Manuel Santos recognized the State of Palestine shortly before leaving office. More recently, on October 20, 2023, President Gustavo Petro announced Colombia’s intention to open an embassy in Ramallah.
That commitment was followed by a historic decision on May 3, 2024, when Colombia severed diplomatic ties with Israel, citing its continued military aggression and genocidal acts against Palestinians in Gaza.
Since October 7, 2023, Israeli occupation forces (IOF)—backed by unconditional US support—have waged a genocidal campaign in Gaza, resulting in over 184,000 Palestinians killed or wounded, more than 11,000 missing, and the mass displacement of hundreds of thousands.
The appointment of Ospina, a respected Colombian politician and former mayor of Cali, is widely seen as a symbolic and strategic affirmation of Colombia’s alignment with global calls for justice and accountability in Palestine.
