Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro said Monday he had recalled his country’s ambassador from Israel over “the massacre of the Palestinian people” in occupied territory.
Petro announced his decision after Bolivia broke off diplomatic ties with Israel and also Chile recalled their ambassador to Tel Aviv in response to weeks of war in the Middle East.
Israel has been under diplomatic pressure in the southern hemisphere over its attacks on occupied Palestinian territory in retaliation of an incursion by armed group Hamas that killed more than 1,000 civilians.
Since this attack, more than 200 Israeli citizens have been held captive by Hamas and Israeli armed forced killed more than 8,300 people in the Gaza Strip.
“If Israel doesnt’s stop the massacre of the Palestinian people we can’t be there,” said Petro on social media platform X.
The head of state that commits this genocide is a criminal against humanity. His allies can’t talk of democracy.
President Gustavo Petro
The president subsequently accused the Israeli government of committing a “genocide” that seeks to “get the Palestinian people out of Gaza and appropriate it.”
Petro called on the people of Israel and Palestine to “find the way of reconciliation.”
In a press release, the foreign ministry “reiterated the urgency of a ceasefire and the obligation that the Israeli security forces have to respect International Humanitarian Law (IHL). All parties are called to respect international law and IHL.”
The Colombian government reiterates the call of President Gustavo Petro on the international community to urgently achieve a peace conference that allow carrying out dialogues that will make the peaceful coexistence of both peoples possible.
Foreign Ministry
Israel’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to Petro’s decision to recall the ambassador and his genocide accusations.
A spokesperson of the Israeli government did respond to Bolivia’s decision to cut ties, claiming that La Paz “is aligning itself with the Hamas terrorist organization.”
