Recently, President Gustavo Petro of Colombia responded to criticism from Israel’s Foreign Minister, Israel Katz, over his decision to sever diplomatic ties with Israel. Katz accused Petro of aligning himself with “despicable monsters,” referring to the Palestinian militant group Hamas. However, Petro countered that the real “monster” is Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s Prime Minister, who has been accused of perpetrating genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
Petro had announced that Colombia would cut ties with Israel following an Israeli Army offensive in the Gaza Strip that resulted in the deaths of more than 34,500 Palestinians. Katz criticized Petro for supporting “monsters,” but Petro had threatened to sever ties if Israel did not comply with a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire.
Despite facing backlash and criticism for his stance on the conflict, Petro remains committed to advocating for peace and dialogue between Israel and Palestine. He has been active in seeking a peaceful resolution since an outbreak of violence last October that left 1,200 people dead and 240 hostages. In response to the crisis, he proposed a peace commission to facilitate discussions and work towards the release of kidnapped individuals in Gaza.