![Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro speaks at the 78th session of the UN General Assembly in September 2023 [UN]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/un71000375.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1)
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz has criticised Colombian President Petro Gustavo after he announced that he would cut diplomatic relations with Israel due to the genocide it is carrying out in Gaza.
In a social media post on Wednesday, Israel Katz said: “History will remember that Gustavo Petro @petrogustavo decided to side with the most despicable monsters known to humanity who burned babies, murdered children, raped women, and kidnapped innocent civilians.”
Katz emphasised the historically warm relations between Israel and Colombia, warning that “no hate-filled, anti-Semitic president” can change that bond.
On Wednessday, Petro announced that he would sever diplomatic ties with Israel starting the following day, citing Tel Aviv’s genocide in Gaza as the reason.
More than 34,500 Palestinians have since been killed and over 76,000 injured since Israel launched its war on the Strip. The vast majority of the dead have been women and children. Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.
Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) which, in January, issued an interim ruling that ordered it to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.
Colombia has requested to join the case alongside South Africa, which brought it to the UN’s top Court in the wake of Israel’s war. Petro previously suspended weapons sales to Israel
Read: Colombia president accuses Israel of violating UN ceasefire resolution