By Asha Elmi - Reporter
DJIBOUTI, 17 October 2026 Somalia, Djibouti and 17 other countries have condemned Colombia's decision to open an embassy in Jerusalem, calling on Bogotá to reverse the move.
The condemnation follows the inauguration of Colombia's embassy in Jerusalem on October 14, during an official visit by Colombian Foreign Minister Omar Bula Escobar to Israel, according to reports by the Colombian Foreign Ministry.
In a statement published on Friday by the state-owned media, Djibouti News Agency, the foreign ministers of the 19 countries rejected the embassy move, saying it contradicted relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions.
The ministers said measures aimed at changing the legal and historical status of occupied East Jerusalem, or recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital, were null and void.
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They cited UN Security Council resolutions 476 and 478, adopted in 1980, which rejected unilateral measures to change Jerusalem's status and called on countries with diplomatic missions in the city to withdraw them.
They called on Colombia to reconsider and reverse its decision, comply with international law and respect Palestinian rights, including the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The statement said the embassy move undermined international efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians and a lasting peace based on a two-state solution.
The signatories included Somalia, Djibouti, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Algeria, Sudan, Syria, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Egypt and Yemen.