Colombia-Israel diplomatic spat escalates

President Gustavo Petro of Colombia spent much of last week fighting online about the Israel-Hamas conflict — getting into an argument with top Israeli diplomats that has escalated into threats of fully suspending bilateral relations.

“If we have to suspend foreign relations with Israel, then we will,” Mr. Petro said yesterday on X (formerly Twitter). “We do not support genocide. You do not insult the president of Colombia.”

His words came in response to a message from the Foreign Ministry of Israel, which accused Mr. Petro of making “hostile and anti-Semitic statements” and reflecting “support for the atrocities committed by Hamas terrorists.” The Ministry then announced it would halt security exports to Colombia “as a first measure.” 

Mr. Petro condemned both Hamas’ and the Israeli government’s actions in multiple online appearances throughout last week — but sparked a big backlash when he compared the Gaza strip to the Warsaw Ghetto and Israel’s actions in the region to those of Nazi Germany.

Accusations escalated further this weekend when Mr. Petro denounced Israel for its role in paramilitary massacres in Colombia.

“The Yair Kleins and the Raifal Eithans cannot tell us about the history of peace in Colombia. They unleashed massacres and genocide in Colombia … One day, the army and the government of Israel will ask for our forgiveness for what their men did on our soil,” Mr. Petro said.

His words referred to two former members of the Israeli military who collaborated with Colombian right-wing groups during their conflict with left-wing guerrillas. During the 1980s, Mr. Petro was a member of the M-19, a left-wing guerrilla group who made peace with the Colombian state in 1990.

Mr. Petro won the Colombian election on a platform of securing peace between the remaining armed groups and the Colombian state.

Israel and the U.S. have been key weapons providers for Colombia over the last few decades, during which right-wing governments controlled the country. Mr. Petro broke this streak last year with his win at the ballots.

Mr. Petro’s position has sparked criticism from 12 former Colombian Foreign Ministers, who published an open letter in which they accused the president of “radically breaking with our country’s tradition of respect for international law and multilateralism.”

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