Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro ordered all state institutions to end complicity with Israel’s apartheid policies and genocide in Palestine.
In the directive, Petro ordered government institutions to impose sanctions on Israel and to ensure Palestine is recognized effectively as a nation-state.
The revised measures must be “implemented progressively, in accordance with the budgetary, legal, and regulatory capabilities.”
The President’s directive seeks to ensure compliance with the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which in July last year said that Israel’s 1967 occupation of Palestinian territories is unlawful.
Consequently, the international community must withdraw its support for this occupation in order to comply with international law.
The court is also investigating genocide allegations leveled by South Africa.
In order to comply with the court ruling and legal obligation to prevent genocide, Petro ordered state institutions to:
- Review trade relations with Israel in accordance with principles of international law, and promote trade with Palestine in line with Colombian law.
- Evaluate current contracts with Israeli companies, including coal exports, arms purchases, software, and other digital tools, to ensure compliance with principles of international law.
The directive also orders the country’s institutions to advocate for Palestine’s rights, build cultural solidarity programs and aid, and actively seek to support the ICJ.
The Gaza genocide, which started in 2023, is part of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that came with the creation of the Israeli state in 1948.
The genocide has sparked outrage over Israel’s military response to an attack by the illegal armed group Hamas.
According to Gaza’s health ministry, more than 62000 people have been killed since October 2023. Scholars have estimated that 80% of the killed Palestinians are unarmed civilians, mainly women and children.
The Petro administration has been among the most vociferous critics of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government.
The government of former president Juan Manuel Santos recognized Palestine as an official nation-state in 2018.
