Colombian President Gustavo Petro has revealed that he will cut diplomatic relations with Israel over its military actions in the Gaza Strip.
The left-wing leader accused the Israeli government of committing “genocide” in its war against Hamas during a speech Wednesday following an International Workers’ Day march in Bogotá.
“Tomorrow, diplomatic relations with the State of Israel will be severed due to the presence of a genocidal government and president,” Petro said. “If Palestine dies, humanity dies and we are not going to let it die.”
Petro has previously criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu but has not condemned Hamas’ actions.
He is now seeking to join the South African case accusing Israel of genocide at the International Court of Justice.
“I believe that today all humanity taking to the streets, by the millions, agrees with us and we with them,” Petro said. “This cannot be, this cannot return, the times of genocide, of the extermination of an entire people before our eyes, before our passivity, cannot happen.”
Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced on Wednesday that he would sever relations with the Israeli government following its war actions in Gaza.
A Palestinian child stands in the rubble of a house destroyed following an Israeli attack in Gaza, where at least 34,500 people, mostly women and children, were killed in response to the attack Hamas in Israel on October 7, 2023, which left 1,170 people dead.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Wednesday (left) with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right) to discuss ongoing efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza, secure the release of hostages and increase humanitarian aid to the Palestinian enclave.
A protester is escorted by police after around 300 demonstrators were arrested at Columbia University, where students and foreigners gathered to protest against the Israeli government.
The Colombian president’s remarks come as anti-Israel protests spread across college campuses across the United States, including at Columbia University, where students and foreigners have set up encampments.
About 300 arrests were made in Columbia and City College on charges of trespassing, criminal mischief and burglary, Police Commissioner Edward Caban said at a news conference Wednesday.
“Public safety was a real concern, especially after protesters escalated the situation by breaking into a university building and the NYPD was called in to do their job,” he said.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a meeting with Netanyahu on Wednesday to discuss plans for a Gaza ceasefire, secure the release of hostages and increase humanitarian aid to the Palestinian enclave.
Petro’s last warning to Israel was in March, when he said he would cut ties with the country if it did not comply with a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire. -fire in the Gaza Strip.
Israel responded that it would not yield to any pressure or threats.
On February 29, Petro announced that Colombia would stop buying weapons from Israel after more than 100 people were killed in Gaza while receiving food from Egyptian trucks carrying aid.
“It’s called genocide and it’s reminiscent of the Holocaust, even if world powers don’t like to recognize it,” the president wrote on X, the former Twitter platform.
Israeli troops march in the Gaza Strip, where military strikes have killed at least 34,500 people since October 2023
Palestinians watch destruction after Israeli airstrike in Gaza Strip
The New York Police Department decided to clear Hamilton Hall on April 30, less than 24 hours after it was occupied by anti-Israel protesters at Columbia University.
Colombia is the third Latin American country to cut ties with Israel after the war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched an attack that left 1,170 people dead.
The Israeli response left at least 34,500 dead, mostly women and children, in Gaza.
Bolivia severed ties in October, saying Israel was committing “crimes against humanity against the Palestinian people.”
Belize followed suit in November after questioning Israel for its “indiscriminate and incessant bombings in Gaza that have killed 11,000 innocent civilians.”
Other countries such as Chile and Nicaragua have expressed opposition to Israel but without severing relations.
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