The Israeli government has suspended exports of security material to Colombia in response to “hostile and anti-Semitic statements” by Colombian President Gustavo Petro, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced this Sunday (15).
The decision was taken after the Israeli Foreign Ministry called the Colombian ambassador to Israel, Margarita Manjarrez, to express its rejection of Petro’s demonstrations on social media in which he shows his clear support for the Palestinian cause without an explicit condemnation of the murder and kidnapping of hundreds of Israeli civilians by Hamas.
“At the meeting it was made clear to the ambassador that the statements were received in Israel with astonishment at the savage attack by Hamas terrorists who murdered more than 1,300 Israelis and kidnapped more than 150,” said the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel. Israel, Lior Haiat.
“Israel condemns the president’s statements that reflect support for the atrocities committed by Hamas terrorists, fuel anti-Semitism, affect representatives of the State of Israel and threaten the peace of the Jewish community in Colombia,” added the diplomat. “In response, as a first measure, Israel decided to stop security exports to Colombia,” added Haiat.
Shortly after the Israeli government’s position, the Colombian president threatened to suspend diplomatic relations with the country. “If we have to suspend foreign relations with Israel, we will suspend them. We do not support genocides”, wrote Petro on the social network X, and then asked for “real solidarity” between Latin America and Colombia.
Colombia and Israel established diplomatic relations in 1957 and, in addition to being allies in terms of security due to the conflicts that both countries are experiencing, they strengthened their relationship with a free trade agreement, in force since August 2020, while the recognition of Palestine as Sovereign state is most recent, from August 2018. The two countries have close cooperation on security issues and the Jewish State is an important supplier of military material to Colombia, including combat planes, rifles and supplies.
However, Petro’s position, which since the beginning of the war maintained a verbal confrontation with the international Jewish community, and even compared the situation in Gaza with the Auschwitz concentration camp in World War II, caused a crisis in the bilateral relationship.
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