Colombian President Gustavo Petro has threatened to break off diplomatic ties with Israel and has called onto other nations to do so if Tel Aviv refuses to comply with a United Nations security council resolution that calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
The UN security council approved the resolution on Monday, urging for an instant halt to hostilities in Gaza during the holy month of Ramadan, which concludes in a fortnight.
On Tuesday, in a social media post Petro warned the Zionist regime to either end its genocide in Gaza or face severing of political ties with the South American country.
“If Israel does not comply with the United Nations ceasefire resolution we will break diplomatic relations with Israel,” Petro said on a social media platform.
Si Israel no cumple la resolución de Naciones Unidas de Cese al Fuego rompemos relaciones diplomáticas con Israel.
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) March 26, 2024
“Colombia does not support genocides,” he said in another post.
On Monday, in another released statement he commended the approval of the resolution and called upon other countries to sever their connections with Israel if it fails to halt its military aggression in war-torn Gaza Strip.
“I invite the nations of the world to break diplomatic relations with Israel if it breaks the ceasefire,” he said.
Por fin sale del Consejo de Naciones Unidas una resolución de alto al fuego en Gaza por unanimidad. Invito a las naciones del mundo a que si Israel rompe este cese al fuego se rompan relaciones diplomáticas con ese país. https://t.co/2QlPrEmNCM
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) March 25, 2024
The Israeli regime has been committing severe acts of genocide and war crimes in the name of “protecting its people”.
Petro has repeatedly accused Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government of being genocidal and has compared it to the Nazi regime.
On 29 February, Petro decided to halt the procurement of weapons from Israel following reports of the killing of 100 Palestinians in an Israeli assault. The victims were awaiting humanitarian assistance in Gaza at the time.
Colombia and Israel have faced various tensions following the outbreak of the war in October. Ambassador Margarita Manjarrez came back to Colombia on 8 November last year after being summoned for consultations by the president.
The ongoing offensive has tragically claimed the lives of more than 32,000 individuals, as reported by Gaza’s Health Ministry.
