The decision was officially implemented through Corferias, the event organizer, amid deteriorating political relations between Colombia and Israel. Yet it appears paradoxical given the scale of recent defense cooperation: Israel has sold Colombia military equipment worth over $1 billion, including advanced air defense systems such as Barak MX, capable of intercepting ballistic threats. This was reported by Infodefensa.
According to the publication, Israel ranks as Colombia's second most important defense partner in terms of signed contracts. In addition to the Barak MX deal, Colombia has procured a wide range of other Israeli weapon systems in recent years.
Read more: With 56 Leopard 2A4 Tanks and 13 Eurofighters, Austria Now Considers Joining NATO
This includes 155mm wheeled self-propelled howitzers ATMOS 2000 from Elbit Systems, Rafael combat modules for LAV-III armored vehicles, specialized equipment to convert two Boeing 737s into electronic warfare aircraft, and ongoing negotiations to locally produce 20,000 IWI Galil assault rifles under license.
Israel has also handled routine maintenance of Colombia's Kfir fighter jets, including servicing of Derby and Python air-to-air missiles, Spike anti-tank missiles for the army, and tactical radios like Taridan from Elbit Systems.
Colombia and Israel have maintained defense ties for 42 years, with a notable uptick in cooperation starting in the 1990s. The current diplomatic chill stems from remarks made by Colombian President Gustavo Petro regarding Israel's actions in Gaza, which led to official suspension of certain bilateral security agreements.
Infodefensa notes that Israeli officials appear to be taking a "wait-and-see" approach, anticipating a change in Colombia's political leadership that could eventually restore defense cooperation.
From Defense Express, we emphasize a broader pattern: Israel's arms export policy is driven primarily by pragmatic commercial logic — selling where it's most profitable, not necessarily where systems are strategically needed. But this approach can backfire, as seen now in Colombia.
Previously, we also reported on how Colombia received an unusually generous Rafale fighter jet offer from France — raising questions about what makes this South American country such a prized market for global arms suppliers.
Read more: U.S. Considers Restarting F-22 Raptor Production
