Colombian President Gustavo Petro has announced plans to cut diplomatic ties with Israel over its war in the Gaza Strip, which human rights advocates and other experts have warned could amount to genocide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking to a crowd marking International Workers\u2019 Day in Bogota on Wednesday, Petro said countries cannot be passive in the face of the crisis unfolding in Gaza.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHere in front of you, the government of change, of the president of the republic, announces that tomorrow we will break diplomatic relations with the state of Israel \u2026 for having a government, for having a president who is genocidal,\u201d Petro said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A left-wing leader who came to power in 2022, Petro is considered part of a progressive wave known as the \u201cpink tide\u201d in Latin America. He has been one of the region\u2019s most vocal critics of Israel since the start of the Gaza war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In October, just days after the conflict began, Israel said it was \u201chalting security exports\u201d to Colombia after Petro accused Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant of using language similar to what the \u201cNazis said of the Jews\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gallant said the country was fighting \u201chuman animals\u201d in Gaza, as he ordered a total siege of the territory following the deadly attacks on southern Israel on October 7.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A month later, Petro accused Israel of committing \u201cgenocide\u201d in the besieged Palestinian enclave, drawing more ire from Israeli officials and pro-Israel advocacy groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And in February, Colombia suspended Israeli weapons purchases after Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinians scrambling for food aid in Gaza \u2014 an event Petro said \u201crecalls the Holocaust\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Colombian president\u2019s comments on Wednesday come amid growing concerns about a possible Israeli ground offensive into the southern city of Rafah, which United Nations chief Antonio Guterres said would mark an \u201cunbearable escalation\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
More than 34,500 Palestinians have been killed in Israel\u2019s military offensive in the Gaza Strip to date, and the enclave faces a continued humanitarian crisis, with experts warning of famine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli government about Colombia\u2019s plans to cut diplomatic ties with the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, in early April, the Colombian government requested to join a case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) accusing Israel of genocide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cColombia\u2019s ultimate goal in this endeavour is to ensure the urgent and fullest possible protection for Palestinians in Gaza, in particular such vulnerable populations as women, children, persons with disabilities and the elderly,\u201d the country said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The UN\u2019s top court ruled in January that Palestinians faced a plausible risk of genocide in Gaza and ordered Israel to prevent any such acts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese also said in late March that there were \u201creasonable grounds to believe that the threshold indicating the commission of \u2026 acts of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza has been met\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe overwhelming nature and scale of Israel\u2019s assault on Gaza and the destructive conditions of life it has inflicted reveal an intent to physically destroy Palestinians as a group,\u201d Albanese said in a report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Israel has denied accusations of genocide, calling Albanese\u2019s report an \u201cobscene inversion of reality\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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