Colombia threatens to cut diplomatic ties with Israel over non-compliance with UNSC Gaza ceasefire demand

Colombian President Gustavo Petro threatened to cut off relations with Israel unless it complies with the UN resolution passed on Monday, demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

The president of Colombia issued his warning to Israel on social media.

“If Israel does not comply with the United Nations Ceasefire resolution, we will break off diplomatic relations with Israel,” Petro wrote on 𝕏.

The UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution demands an immediate ceasefire in Gaza for the remainder of the holy month of Ramadan, which ends on April 9. The demand for a ceasefire is no longer contingent upon the release of Israeli hostages from captivity in Gaza.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz responded to the Colombian leader's threat in a post on 𝕏.

“The support of the president of Colombia @petrogustavo to the Hamas murderers who massacred and committed atrocious sexual crimes against babies, women and adults is a shame for the Colombian people. Israel will continue to protect its citizens and will not give in to any pressure or threats,” Katz wrote.

Petro has refused to condemn the Hamas terrorist organization for the Oct. 7 massacre against southern Israeli border communities. The Colombian leader is a former member of the M19 guerrilla group and Colombia’s first far-left president.  

Colombia recalled its ambassador to Israel for discussions, following a demand two weeks earlier by Colombian Foreign Minister Álvaro Leyva that the Israeli ambassador to Colombia, apologize and leave the country. This sequence of diplomatic actions led Israel to halt its defense exports to Colombia.

President Petro then made a significant comment in response to these developments: “If we have to suspend relations with Israel, we will suspend them. We do not support genocide.”

In December Petro wrote that Israel’s war to defend itself against Hamas terrorists in Gaza was equivalent to “Nazism.”

“Nazism is a form of violent and deep fascism. It is based on the belief of a superior race that gives it the right to destroy and subjugate those who differ from it, which it even considers inhuman. This is happening in Palestine.”  

The Colombian president attached a video to his 𝕏 post showing the Deir al-Balah area being bombed, with the remark: “They say they are not Nazis. Even if the Western conscience does not like these facts, the extermination of 5,300 Palestinian girls and boys is Nazism.”

Colombia is one of several countries in Latin America that has shown great hostility to Israel following the Oct. 7 massacre and kidnappings of mostly Israeli civilians by Hamas operatives and their allies.

In late October, the Republic of Chile recalled its ambassador to Israel, alongside Colombia and Bolivia.

As the host of the largest aerospace fair in Latin America this year, the government of Chile announced earlier this month that Israeli companies would not be allowed to participate in the event, scheduled to take place next month in the Chilean capital of Santiago.