Israel Matzav

Tel Aviv - Bogota nonstop?

Israel and Colombia have signed an 'open skies' agreement allowing non-stop flights between Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport and Bogota.

Israel and Colombia will benefit from the agreement since it will allow flexibility and easy transport of passengers between the two countries.

Colombia has close diplomatic ties with both Israel and the United States. Israel is a prime exporter of weaponry to Columbia and the two countries cooperate in the fields of security and technology.

Several weeks ago Colombia announced that it will not join the parade of Latin American nations that have recently recognized the Palestinian Authority as a sovereign country.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos Calderon told the World Jewish Congress on that as a “matter of principle” his government would not recognize any unilateral declaration of statehood by the PA.

Colombian Vice President Francisco Santos Calderon visited Israel in the summer of 2009, where he met with Minister of Foreign Affairs Avigdor Lieberman, President Shimon Peres, and other government officials.

The governments of Israel and Colombia must ratify the Open Skies agreement before it goes into effect.

At least we have one friend in Latin America (will they vote with us in the UN?). It's a bit far, but maybe Israelis could be persuaded to trade Anatalya (Turkey) for Cartegena (Colombia) and give our tourist dollars to a friend rather than an enemy.

Labels: Bogota, Colombia, El Al, open skies agreement, Tel Aviv

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 11:20 PM