Colombia will cut diplomatic ties with Israel, whose leader he called “genocidal” in its attack in Gaza, the country’s president Gustavo Petro announced on Wednesday.
“Tomorrow (Thursday) diplomatic relations with the state of Israel will be severed… for having a genocidal president,” Petro told a May Day rally in Bogota — referring to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Petro has been an outspoken opponent of the Gaza offensive, which came after an extraordinary October 7 Hamas strike on southern Israel.
According to Israeli authorities, that attack claimed the lives of about 1,170 persons, the majority of whom were civilians.
About 250 captives were also taken by Hamas terrorists; 129 of them are still in Gaza, including 34 who Israel said are likely dead.
The health ministry in the Hamas-run area of Gaza reports that Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 34,568 individuals in Gaza, the majority of them were women and children.
On Wednesday, Petro told thousands of supporters that the world cannot accept “genocide, the extermination of an entire people.”
“If Palestine dies, humanity dies,” he said to loud applause from the crowd, some of whom flew pro-Palestinian banners.
Israel responded by describing Petro as “anti-Semitic and hateful,” saying his stance amounted to handing a reward to Hamas.
“The Colombian president has promised to reward Hamas murderers and rapists — and today he delivered,” Foreign Minister Israel Katz said on X.
“History will remember that Gustavo Petro decided to stand by the most despicable monsters humanity has known, who burned babies, murdered children, raped women and kidnapped innocent civilians,” Katz added.
Hamas, for its part, hailed the move as a “victory.”
“We greatly appreciate the position of Colombian President Gustavo Petro… which we consider a victory for the sacrifices of our people and their just cause,” the group said in a statement, urging other Latin American countries to follow suit.
Colombia has joined Bolivia, Belize and South Africa in severing or suspending ties with Israel. Several other countries have recalled diplomats.
