Tensions between Colombia and Israel rise as President Petro calls for peace conference on Palestinian state

Colombian President Gustavo Petro speaks during the opening of the International Book Fair (FilBo) in Bogota, Colombia, April 17, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez

Colombian President Gustavo Petro has proposed an “International Peace Conference for Palestine” at the United Nations General Assembly, calling on world leaders to “stop killing children in Gaza.”

The proposal sparked outrage in Israel, which accused Colombia of supporting Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist organization that governs Gaza.

“President Petro cannot be a mediator if he supports Hamas,” Mattanya Cohen, head of the Latin America and Caribbean bureau at the Israeli Foreign Ministry, said in a statement.

Cohen argued at a press conference that Petro has not been neutral in the Middle East conflict, but has “expressed support for Palestine on several occasions,” while also criticizing Israel’s actions.

“A peace conference is a nice name, but Israel is not invited,” he added.

During the press conference, Cohen said it was Petro’s fault that relations with Israel were tense.

“When a president orders an ambassador to leave the country, dialogue is impossible,” he said.

In May, Colombia severed diplomatic relations with Israel over its military campaign in Gaza, criticizing the Israeli government and its leaders as “genocide.”

Petro’s latest proposal was presented to the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, which passed a non-binding Palestinian resolution calling on Israel to end its “unlawful presence in the occupied Palestinian territory” within the next 12 months.

The resolution, which was adopted by 124 votes to 14, with 43 abstentions, was intended to reinforce an advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) from July, which ruled that Israel’s presence in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, including the establishment of settlements in those areas, is illegal and contrary to international law.

While calling on Israel to withdraw all military forces and Jewish communities from Gaza and the West Bank, the UN resolution made no mention of Israel’s security concerns, its historical ties to the territories or the October 7 Hamas massacre in southern Israel.

Next week, world leaders travel to New York for their annual UN meeting, where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will both address the General Assembly.

What does the deteriorating relationship with Israel mean for Colombia?

Since establishing diplomatic relations in 1957, Colombia and Israel have signed dozens of agreements on a variety of issues, including education, trade and military contracts.

This collapse could not only affect Colombia’s military operations, which rely on Israeli-built fighter jets and machine guns to fight drug cartels and rebel groups, but could also impact their free trade agreement.

After the agreement came into effect in 2020, Colombia’s trade revenues from Israel increased by more than 65 percent. Currently, Israel accounts for 1 percent of Colombia’s total exports, including coal, coffee and flowers.

This means the Latin American country could lose $350 million in coal exports and investments annually.

However, the Colombian government has said it has set up a “transition committee” to find alternative suppliers and reduce dependence on Israel.

Ailin Vilches Arguello is a student at the University of Rochester earned a bachelor of arts in both international relations and llanguage, media and communication.