BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Wednesday announced his government will break diplomatic relations with Israel effective Thursday in the latest escalation of tensions between the countries over the Israel-Hamas war.
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Petro again described Israel’s siege of Gaza as “genocide.” He previously suspended purchases of weapons from Israel and compared that country’s actions in Gaza to those of Nazi Germany.
“Tomorrow, diplomatic relations with the State of Israel will be broken … for having a genocidal president,” Petro said during an International Workers’ Day march in Colombia’s capital. “If Palestine dies, humanity dies, and we are not going to let it die.”
Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz quickly rebuked Petro’s comments on the platform X.
“History will remember that Gustavo Petro decided to side with the most despicable monsters known to mankind who burned babies, murdered children, raped women and kidnapped innocent civilians,” he said.
Weeks after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel that sparked the current war in Gaza and killed some 1,200 people, Petro recalled Colombia’s ambassador to Israel as he criticized the country’s military offensive.
Historically, Colombia had been one of Israel’s closest partners in Latin America. But relations between the two nations have cooled since Petro was elected as Colombia’s first leftist president in 2022.
Colombia uses Israeli-built warplanes and machine guns to fight drug cartels and rebel groups, and both countries signed a free trade agreement in 2020.
“Relations between Israel and Colombia always were warm and no antisemitic and hate-filled president will succeed in changing that,” Katz wrote Tuesday. “The state of Israel will continue to defend its citizens without worry and without fear.”
The South American country deepened its military ties with Israel in the late 1980s by purchasing Kfir fighter jets that were used by Colombia’s air force in numerous attacks on remote guerrilla camps that debilitated the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. The attacks helped push the group into peace talks that resulted in its disarmament in 2016.
Petro participated in Wednesday’s march in Bogota to promote his proposed health care, pension and labor reforms.
Did this evil lunatic leftist liar study at Columbia U.?
The Columbian terrorist sides with the Hamas terrorists.
This way, he can devote his attention to cocaine production full-time
Is there still people left in columbia? It looks like they are all now in lower Manhattan. Lol
When I read the headline I thought it was talking about the university.
So were and how will they continue to smuggle drugs into Isreal
Oh my, that’s really bad news. Israelis will now have to find an alternate source for their cocaine.
The failed and gang infested country is threatening Israel . They’re shaking in their boots
This is no great loss. I have always suspected that Israel’s ties to nebulous 3rd world dung hole countries was only for said fetid nations to hang on to its economic coattails. These Embassy movements to Yerushalayim and diplomatic recognitions only ever benefited the piddly country making them. Good riddance Columbia, you can keep your corruption and cocaine to yourselves now.
Well that’ll end the fake pilgrims from coming to rip off our jewelry stores and other high end shops.. win win for is
I am more than confident that Israel along with rest of the civilized world can move on without the country of Columbia or the University of Columbia! Other than bad coffee, drug-addiction and the inmates literally running the asylum, not sure what else significant either one produces!!
I hope they do the full BDS and they can throw out all their computers etc
Depose him!
What an absolute ignoramus!
Should I discontinue using my favorite bold Columbian coffee?
Once a dog always a dog