Thursday August 13, 2026
Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia has denounced Colombia’s recognition of Israel’s claim to sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights, arguing that the decision breaches international law and the United Nations Charter.
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In a statement issued Wednesday, Somalia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Golan Heights remains occupied Syrian territory and that any acknowledgment of Israeli sovereignty there is “null and void.”
“Somalia calls on all states, including Colombia, to uphold international law, respect territorial integrity, and reject recognition of occupied territory,” the government said.
Somalia urged Israel and Syria to settle their dispute through dialogue and in line with relevant U.N. resolutions. Those resolutions affirm Syria’s right to recover its territory to the borders that existed before the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.
Colombia’s Foreign Ministry said Monday that it recognized Israel’s sovereignty claim over the Golan Heights. The move made Colombia only the second country, after the United States, to formally endorse the claim.
The announcement came just days after Colombia’s new president, Abelardo de la Espriella, assumed office. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar welcomed the decision, calling de la Espriella a “good friend” and describing the recognition as historic.
Saar said the two leaders reached the agreement during a meeting in Barranquilla before de la Espriella’s inauguration.
Israel seized most of the Golan Heights from Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War and formally annexed the territory in 1981. Most of the international community rejected that annexation.
The United States became the first country to recognize Israel’s claim to the territory in 2019, during President Donald Trump’s first term.
The United Nations still considers the Golan Heights Syrian territory. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reaffirmed that position last month, calling the ongoing Israeli occupation “totally unacceptable.”
Syria tried unsuccessfully to recapture the territory during the 1973 Arab-Israeli war. The two countries signed an armistice agreement the following year, creating a buffer zone monitored by the United Nations.
Colombia’s decision follows Israel’s expansion of its military presence in Syria after the collapse of President Bashar Assad’s government in December 2024. Israeli forces have entered parts of the U.N.-monitored buffer zone and seized strategic positions, including areas near Jabal al-Sheikh, also known as Mount Hermon, which overlooks Damascus.
