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The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement rejecting Colombia’s position and reaffirming that the Golan Heights constitute occupied Syrian territory. It cited United Nations Security Council Resolution 497 of 1981 which declared Israel’s annexation of the area invalid and without legal effect under international law. The ministry called on Colombia to reconsider its decision in order to support established principles and regional peace initiatives.
Colombia announced its recognition on August 10, 2026, shortly after the inauguration of President Abelardo de la Espriella with its foreign ministry stating that the Golan represents an essential component of Israel’s national defense amid ongoing regional instability. This step made Colombia the second country after the United States to extend such recognition according to reports from Al Jazeera. The United States first offered recognition in 2019 a move that at the time prompted similar condemnations from Arab states and the broader international community.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar described the Colombian announcement as historic in comments carried by The Jerusalem Post noting that it followed his recent engagements with Colombian officials. Sa’ar indicated plans to encourage additional countries to adopt similar positions alongside the United States. The development occurs against the background of the Golan Heights having been seized by Israel from Syria in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and formally annexed in 1981.
Syria’s Foreign Ministry issued its own condemnation on the same day describing the Colombian recognition as a breach of the United Nations Charter and the principle against acquiring territory by force according to coverage in The Times of Israel. Damascus reiterated that the plateau forms an integral part of Syrian territory and rejected security-related justifications for the shift. The Syrian statement aligned closely with long-standing Arab positions on the issue.
The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs has maintained a consistent diplomatic line that comprehensive peace requires Israeli withdrawal from all Arab territories occupied in 1967 including the Golan Heights in accordance with the Arab Peace Initiative first adopted by the Arab League in 2002. That framework links normalization to full withdrawal and has guided Saudi engagement on the file for more than two decades. The latest statement from the ministry underscores this policy without deviation.
United Nations documentation including successive Security Council resolutions continues to classify the Golan Heights as occupied Syrian land with the UN Disengagement Observer Force referencing that status in its regular assessments of the ceasefire line. Records from the United Nations show that Resolution 497 remains the foundational text on the matter having been adopted unanimously in December 1981. The recent diplomatic exchanges reflect persistent divisions over the territory’s status between certain Western Hemisphere governments and the prevailing view across Arab and most other nations.
