Colombia's President Gustavo Petro announced the suspension of weapon purchases from Israel after Palestinians reported Israeli troops firing at people seeking food in Gaza. This move signifies an escalation of tensions between both countries amid the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Characterizing the deaths as "genocide," Petro held Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responsible for the violence surrounding the aid convoy.
Colombia Halts Israel Arms Purchases
Health officials in Gaza reported that a minimum of 112 individuals have lost their lives, pushing the total death count of the conflict to over 30,000. Israel mentioned that a significant number of individuals perished in a disorderly rush for the food.
Petro's statement was made several months following Israel's decision to halt security exports to Colombia due to a diplomatic dispute over online comments made by Colombia's president drawing parallels between Israel's actions in Gaza and those of Nazi Germany.
"Asking for food, more than 100 Palestinians were killed by Netanyahu. This is called genocide and is reminiscent of the Holocaust even if the world powers do not like to recognize it. The world must block Netanyahu. Colombia suspends all purchases of weapons from Israel," Petro said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
Colombia has been a significant ally of the United States for many years and maintains a strong partnership with Israel in Latin America. Since Petro was elected as the country's first leftist president in 2022, relations with Israel and the US have cooled. However, Bogota and Washington have managed to maintain relatively good terms despite disagreements over US drug policy and Venezuela.
Colombia uses warplanes and machine guns from Israel to combat drug cartels and rebel groups, with both nations agreeing to a free trade deal in 2020. The country strengthened its military relationship with Israel in the late 1980s through the acquisition of a fleet of Kfir fighter jets equipped to deploy laser-guided bombs.
Its air force used them in multiple strikes on isolated guerrilla camps, weakening the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and eventually leading to the group entering peace negotiations that led to its disarmament in 2016.
Colombian President Disapproves Israel's Military Campaign
Following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel that led to the current conflict in Gaza and resulted in approximately 1,200 casualties, Colombia's ambassador to Israel was also withdrawn by Petro as he voiced disapproval of the military campaign.
Colombia has brought back over 300 of its citizens on humanitarian flights since the conflict started. One of the air force planes also transported humanitarian aid to Egypt for delivery to the Palestinian population. The country's military and police have been using firearms and missiles sourced from Israel for many years.
The country possesses approximately 20 Kfir combat aircraft, along with the authorization to produce Galil automatic rifles and Spike missiles under Israeli patent. Petro, a vocal opponent of Israel's actions in Gaza, engaged in a heated debate with the Israeli ambassador in Bogota, Gali Dagan.
Shortly after the war began in October, Israel announced it would stop security exports to Colombia following accusations made by Petro against Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The first leftist president of Colombia emphasized the importance of preventing Nazism from resurfacing in global politics, Barrons reported.
