President Laura Fernández Delgado has told Israeli President Isaac Herzog that she wants to upgrade Costa Rica’s diplomatic representation in Jerusalem to a full embassy, a move that would mark a sharp foreign-policy signal in the opening days of her administration.
The meeting took place shortly after Fernández’s May 8 inauguration in San José and was her first official meeting as president. Israel’s diplomatic mission said the two leaders discussed expanding cooperation and trade between Costa Rica and Israel, and that Fernández expressed willingness to raise Costa Rica’s representation in Jerusalem to embassy level.
Herzog attended the inauguration as part of an official visit to Central America. The ceremony brought foreign delegations from 71 countries, including representatives from Israel, the United States, Spain, Panama, Ecuador and El Salvador.
The proposal would reopen a sensitive chapter in Costa Rica’s diplomatic history. Costa Rica maintained its embassy in Jerusalem for decades before President Óscar Arias moved it to Tel Aviv in 2006. Arias said at the time that the decision was meant to improve Costa Rica’s relations with Arab countries and align the country with United Nations resolutions. Former President Luis Alberto Monge had moved the embassy to Jerusalem in 1982 as a show of support for Israel.
The status of Jerusalem remains one of the most disputed issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel considers the city its capital, while Palestinians seek East Jerusalem as the capital of a future state. Most countries keep their embassies in Tel Aviv or nearby areas because of those political sensitivities.
The possible embassy move would also build on recent Costa Rica-Israel ties. In December, Costa Rica agreed to open a trade and innovation office in Jerusalem with diplomatic status, tied to cooperation in technology, investment and trade.
The Israeli statement did not give a timetable for opening an embassy or detail what formal steps Costa Rica would take. But the message carries weight because it came during Fernández’s first days in office, as her government begins setting its diplomatic tone. For Israel, the gesture would add momentum to a broader effort to deepen ties in Latin America. Herzog also met with leaders from Chile, Honduras, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic and Spain during the inauguration events in San José.
For Costa Rica, the issue could draw attention at home and abroad. A move to Jerusalem would please Israel and its supporters, but could also test Costa Rica’s relations with Arab and Muslim-majority countries, the same concern cited when the embassy was moved to Tel Aviv in 2006.
At this point, the statement is best read as a clear political signal rather than a completed policy change. No public implementation date has been announced.
