Colombian President Gustavo Petro warned on Sunday that he might suspend diplomatic relations with Israel. The threat comes after Israel decided to halt military sales to Colombia due to Petro’s position on Israeli military actions in Gaza. Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Lior Haiat said Petro’s comments were seen as “supportive of Hamas atrocities,” and put at risk the peace of the Jewish community in Colombia.
In a separate statement, Petro urged Latin American nations to show solidarity with Colombia and called on Israel to help achieve “peace in Palestine and the world.”
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“We do not support genocides. The president of Colombia will not be insulted,” Petro stated on the X platform.
Petro announced plans to send humanitarian aid to Gaza, potentially with Egyptian support, and called for an extraordinary session of the UN General Assembly. These actions follow Petro’s refusal to condemn terrorist attacks by the Palestinian group Hamas, as well as drawing parallels between Gaza and the Auschwitz death camp, which sparked criticism within Colombia.