Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Tuesday threatened to cut diplomatic ties with Jerusalem if it does not comply with the previous day’s United Nations Security Council Resolution calling for a halt to fighting in Gaza until the end of Ramadan.
“If Israel does not comply with the United Nations ceasefire resolution we break diplomatic relations with Israel,” the former left-wing guerrilla and Bogotá mayor tweeted in Spanish.
In response, Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz tweeted in Spanish that “the support of the president of Colombia @petrogustavo for the Hamas murderers who massacred and committed atrocious sexual crimes against babies, women and adults is a shame for the Colombian people. Israel will continue to protect its citizens and will not give in to any pressure or threats.”
The Security Council resolution “demands an immediate ceasefire for the month of Ramadan respected by all parties leading to a lasting ceasefire and also demands the immediate and conditional release of all hostages.”
It also demands compliance with international law in the treatment of detainees and emphasizes the urgent need to expand the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza and demands that barriers preventing that be lifted.
Washington abstained in the 14-0 vote. As one of the council’s permanent members, the United States could have vetoed the resolution, which the 10 elected, non-permanent members of the council drafted and circulated.
Ramadan lasts for about another two weeks.
At the end of February, Petro compared Israel to the Nazis and said that the South American country would no longer purchase weapons from the Jewish state.
“Asking for food, more than 100 Palestinians were killed by [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu. This is called genocide and is reminiscent of the Holocaust even if the world powers do not like to recognize it,” Petro wrote in Spanish on social media. “The world must block Netanyahu.”
Colombian Foreign Minister Álvaro Leyva ordered Israeli Ambassador Gali Dagan out of the country in October. The previous day, Israel halted defense exports to the country following Petro’s comparison of the Israeli military to Nazis in the wake of the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7.