‘Campaign of Devastation’ – Colombian President Slams Israel’s War on Gaza, Demands Global Action
The Colombian president framed the Gaza crisis not just as a moral catastrophe but as an existential test for international law and nations of the Global South.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro has intensified his condemnation of the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza, publishing a scathing opinion piece in The Guardian on Tuesday. In it, he directly accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of orchestrating a “campaign of devastation” and urged the international community to move beyond mere outrage to take “concrete action” in defense of international law.
Petro has emerged as one of the most vocal world leaders to denounce Israel’s actions in Gaza, consistently labeling the offensive as a “genocide.” His latest piece adds significant weight to his growing series of forceful critiques.
He denounced what he described as 600 days of “systematic atrocities,” warning that global inaction risks legitimizing a dangerous model of impunity where “colonial violence, ethnic cleansing, and siege warfare are normalized against a captive population.” The president emphasized the moral imperative to act:
“If we fail to act now,” he wrote, “we not only betray the Palestinian people, we become complicit in the atrocities committed by Netanyahu’s government.”
President Petro highlighted a landmark United Nations General Assembly resolution adopted in September 2024, which explicitly called for Israel to “bring to an end without delay its unlawful presence” in the Occupied Palestinian Territory within 12 months. He noted Colombia was among the 124 countries that voted in favor, thereby assuming “concrete obligations – investigations, prosecutions, sanctions, asset freezes, and cessation of imports and arms.”
The clock is now ticking,” Petro warned, reaffirming Colombia’s commitment to these obligations. He recalled a concrete step already taken by his nation: the suspension of coal exports to Israel. Earlier this year, Petro had declared, “We cannot fuel the machinery that slaughters Palestinian children and then claim neutrality.”
This is not the first bold move by the Colombian president in response to the Gaza crisis. In May 2024, his government formally cut diplomatic ties with Israel, explicitly citing “genocide.” His administration also appointed Colombia’s first ambassador to Palestine, Jorge Iván Ospina, and pledged medical treatment in Colombian hospitals for injured children from Gaza. Ambassador Ospina later echoed Petro’s position, warning of a “macabre intention to erase the identity of a people.”
In his recent article, Petro praised similar decisive actions by other nations. He highlighted Malaysia’s ban on Israeli ships from its ports and South Africa’s courageous move to bring Israel before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on charges of genocide. Notably, Colombia joined the ICJ case as an intervening party, further deepening its legal opposition to Israel’s war.
‘If Palestine Dies, Humanity Dies’ – Colombia Cuts Diplomatic Ties with Israel
Looking ahead, President Petro announced that Colombia and South Africa, as co-chairs of The Hague Group, will host an emergency summit regarding Gaza on July 15. The conference aims to develop a coordinated, multilateral strategy to diplomatically and economically isolate Israel while restoring credibility to the global legal order. With the UN’s proposed International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Palestinian Question indefinitely postponed, Petro framed the upcoming July summit as a necessary corrective to global paralysis, stating:
“Bogotá’s emergency conference convenes states to move from condemnation to collective action. By cutting our ties of complicity – across our states’ courts, ports, and factories – we can challenge Donald Trump and Netanyahu’s vision of a world where ‘might is right’.”
“The choice before us is stark and unforgiving. We can either stand firm in defense of the legal principles that seek to prevent war and conflict, or watch helplessly as the international system collapses under the weight of unchecked power politics.”
The Colombian president framed the Gaza crisis not just as a moral catastrophe but as an existential test for international law and nations of the Global South. He stressed the profound implications for the international system:
He concluded his piece by stressing that the choice is between complicity in colonial violence and collective resistance against it, emphasizing:
“For the billions of people in the global south who rely on international law for protection, the stakes could not be higher. The Palestinian people deserve justice. The moment demands courage. History will judge us harshly if we fail to answer its call.”
