Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will travel to Colombia on Monday to attend the inauguration ceremony of President-elect Iván Duque Márquez.
Numerous Latin American states are expected to attend the Aug. 7 ceremony in Bogota, and Netanyahu is expected to hold a series of meetings with the leaders of Guatemala, Honduras, Argentina and Chile, among others, in an effort to bolster Israel's standing in the region.
There is also hope among Israeli officials that Netanyahu's trip could lead Colombia to relocate its diplomatic mission in Jerusalem.
Colombia's pro-Israel evangelical community played a central force in Duque's election victory, and John Milton Rodriguez of Justa Libres, a Christian political party in the country, has voiced support for transferring the Colombian Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in the past.
Duque also repeatedly called for the embassy's transfer throughout his election campaign, saying, "I am very connected to Jerusalem; it is a connection to history, to life and to the people of Israel. Parts of Jerusalem should be regulated within [the context of] an international solution, but Colombia should have a diplomatic mission in Jerusalem," he said.
Duque further said he wanted his country to have "the best possible ties with Israel."
Netanyahu last visited the Latin American country in September, in what was the first visit to the country by an Israeli prime minister.
