BOGOTA: The President of Colombia Gustavo Petro on Tuesday threatened to sever diplomatic relations with Israel, if it does not comply with a UN Security Council resolution that calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
Petro made the remarks on social media platform, X. He gave another message in which he celebrated the approval of the resolution and called upon the other countries to cut ties with Israel if it does not stop its military offensive in the Gaza Strip, which has resulted in the deaths of more than 32,000 people.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry while replying to Petro’s threat said that Israel will continue with its campaign and will not give in to any pressures and threats.
The Foreign Ministry accused Petro of being a supporter of Hamas adding that his stance is a disgrace to the people of Colombia.
The confrontation on social media hits a growing deterioration in ties between both nations, which have gone from being commercial and military partners, to becoming hostile ideological rivals.
Colombia for decades, used Israeli-built fighter planes and machine guns to fight drug cartels and rebel groups, while both countries also signed a free trade agreement in 2020. But ties began to deteriorate in 2022, when Petro was elected as President.
Petro, a longtime supporter of the cause of Palestine cause, has termed Israel’s military campaign in Gaza as genocide.
In February, he halted military purchases from Israel, after the country’s troops fired on Palestinians who gathered around aid trucks, killing more than 100 people.
