Will Colombia Get a Fanatically Pro-Zionist President?

Colombia may soon join the growing ranks of Latin American nations led by fanatically pro-Zionist presidents who view alignment with Israel as a ticket to Washington’s good graces.

Abelardo de la Espriella, the right-wing Colombian presidential candidate known as “El Tigre,” has made his pro-Israel stance a central pillar of his 2026 campaign. Currently placing second in several polls with approximately 27 to 28 percent support, the criminal defense lawyer turned political outsider has pledged to move Colombia’s embassy to Jerusalem, restore diplomatic ties with Israel severed by the Petro government in 2024, and forge a strategic alliance with both Israel and the United States to combat narcoterrorism.

De la Espriella’s pro-Zionist signaling is part of a growing trend of Latin American leaders—most notably Javier Milei in Argentina—showcasing their support for Israel to stay in the good graces of Washington. Should he win the Colombian presidency, it will further reinforce this pattern across the region.

Abelardo Gabriel de la Espriella Otero was born on July 31, 1978, in Bogotá and grew up in Montería in the Córdoba department of northern Colombia. He studied law at Sergio Arboleda University and later earned a specialization in administrative law from Del Rosario University. In 2012, he obtained a master’s degree in law from Nebrija University in Spain.

He founded his law firm, De La Espriella Lawyers, in 2002, with offices in Colombia and the United States. His professional reputation was built on high-profile criminal defense cases, representing celebrities, politicians, and controversial businessmen. He holds dual Colombian-Italian nationality.

De la Espriella spent nearly two decades cultivating a public profile as a media commentator, opinion columnist, and television personality before formally entering politics. At the end of 2024, he launched his political movement, Defensores de la Patria (Defenders of the Homeland), describing it as “the voice of citizens tired of insecurity, corruption, and the complacency of the elites.”

In November 2025, De la Espriella held a mass rally at the Movistar Arena in Bogotá, drawing more than 15,000 supporters. The event featured video messages and appearances from Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R-FL), Argentine political analyst Agustín Laje, and Spanish MEP Alvise Pérez of Se Acabó La Fiesta.

He has been compared repeatedly to Nayib Bukele of El Salvador, Javier Milei of Argentina, and Donald Trump of the United States, a comparison he embraces. In January 2026, he traveled to Madrid to meet Santiago Abascal, leader of Spain’s VOX party, and signed the Carta de Madrid to formally join the Foro de Madrid, an international network of conservative and right-wing populist political leaders. His running mate is José Manuel Restrepo, who served first as Minister of Commerce and then as Minister of Finance under President Iván Duque.

Alongside these political alliances, De la Espriella has staked out a strongly pro-Israel foreign policy platform that doubles as a critique of the sitting administration. De la Espriella’s pro-Israel position stands in contrast to President Gustavo Petro’s anti-Israel posture and as a model for Colombia’s own so-called counterterrorism strategy. His core positions include moving the Colombian Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, following the precedents set by the United States under Trump and Argentina under Milei. He has vowed to fully restore the diplomatic ties that Petro severed on May 1, 2024, calling this an “urgent necessity” for Colombia.

De la Espriella has described a tripartite alliance between Colombia, Israel, and the United States as the central axis of his foreign and security policy. He told Reuters that in his first 90 days in office he would pursue close military and police ties with the United States and Israel. He has repeatedly cited Israel as a global reference point for counterterrorism, intelligence, and defense technology.

When Petro broke ties with Israel, Colombia was negatively affected in military intelligence cooperation and maintenance of its Israeli-manufactured Kfir fighter jets, which had formed part of the Colombian Air Force for 36 years. De la Espriella has pledged to restore this cooperation.

In a November 2025 statement following his meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, De la Espriella declared his position in unambiguous terms. “In my government, I will move the embassy to Jerusalem, because only by strengthening relations and learning from nations that have successfully confronted terrorism will we be able to find the keys to defeating our own ills.” He further stated: “A strategic alliance with the State of Israel and with the Government of the United States will not only make us stronger, but will place us on the right side of history.”

He reinforced this commitment months later in a direct appeal to Colombia’s Jewish community. On April 1, 2026, De la Espriella tweeted his thanks to the Colombian Jewish community:

“Thank you to the Colombian Jewish community for the warm welcome and support you provided us. We will renew a strategic alliance with the State of Israel to confront narcoterrorism with determination. Alongside José Manuel Restrepo, we will defend the Judeo-Christian principles that form the foundation of Western civilization. We deeply recognize and value the Jewish community: their resilience, their legacy, and their steadfastness in the face of adversity serve as an example for nations that do not give up. In my government, Colombia will take a clear step in its foreign policy: we will establish our embassy in Jerusalem and strengthen a direct, firm, and strategic relationship with Israel.”

Beyond public statements and rally appearances, De la Espriella has secured direct engagement with Colombia’s organized Jewish leadership. The most significant formal connection came on March 25, 2026, when he and his vice-presidential running mate José Manuel Restrepo held a formal meeting with the Confederación de Comunidades Judías de Colombia (CCJC), the main umbrella organization of the Jewish community in Colombia, led by executive director Marcos Peckel. At the meeting, De la Espriella pledged to stand by the Jewish community, saying he was ready to defend the Jewish people. Restrepo delivered an explicit statement of support: “I will never hesitate to defend our Jewish people, who are our brother people, the people of God.”

The CCJC has a well-documented history of opposing Petro’s anti-Israel policies. Director Marcos Peckel urged Petro to restore relations in October 2025, calling for the country to “renew dialogue in this new phase of peacebuilding in the region.” Peckel is also a commissioner to combat antisemitism at the Latin American Jewish Congress and a member of the Executive Committee of the World Jewish Congress since 2013.

De la Espriella’s campaign has also engaged with Kehilat Yovel, a messianic Jewish congregation in Bogotá led by Pastor Raúl Rubio, which serves as one of the most prominent pro-Israel civil society organizations in Colombia. Kehilat Yovel is the main Colombian partner of the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM), an international pro-Israel NGO, and has co-organized major pro-Israel rallies in Colombia.

These civil society alignments complement a growing pattern of direct engagement with Israeli state officials. The most direct connection between De la Espriella and the Israeli government is his two-hour meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar on November 25, 2025, during Sa’ar’s Latin American tour.

De la Espriella publicly shared a photo of the meeting on his X account and described it as “a cordial conversation of more than two hours, in which I was able to convey the urgent necessity for Colombia to strengthen ties of friendship and cooperation with Israel.”

The relationship De la Espriella seeks to restore has deep historical roots. Colombia and Israel established diplomatic relations in 1957, though Colombia had recognized Israel as early as 1949. The relationship has been characterized by significant defense and intelligence cooperation, most notably the Israeli-manufactured Kfir fighter jets that have formed the backbone of the Colombian Air Force for over 36 years.

Israel Aerospace Industries upgraded Colombia’s Kfir fleet to its latest C-60 standard as recently as 2017, under a multi-year contract awarded in 2007 worth more than $150 million. Colombia has served, more notoriously, as a training ground where Israeli mercenaries like Yair Klein could expand their security operations and create substantial turmoil.

Under Petro, Colombia severed diplomatic relations with Israel in May 2024, banned coal exports to Israel by decree in August 2024, and expelled Israeli diplomats in October 2025. In August 2025, Petro signed Presidential Directive No. 07, institutionalizing pro-Palestinian policies across all Colombian state agencies, a move roundly condemned by the CCJC and international Jewish organizations.

De la Espriella has pledged to undo each of these measures. What he proposes in their place goes well beyond restoration of the pre-Petro status quo. An electoral victory for Abelardo de la Espriella would mark the formal integration of Colombia into the Isaac Accords framework, effectively tethering the nation’s security and intelligence apparatus to the long-term strategic objectives of Tel Aviv.

By positioning himself as a reliable regional proxy, De la Espriella ensures that Colombia follows the trajectory set by Argentina, subordinating national sovereignty to the dictates of an expansive Judeo-American security umbrella designed to cement Jewish supremacy across the Western Hemisphere.