“How can we stand with armies that drop bombs on children?” the Colombian president said at the Emergency Ministerial Conference on Palestine in Bogotá.
“How can we stand with armies that drop bombs on children?” the Colombian president said at the Emergency Ministerial Conference on Palestine in Bogotá.
In Bogotá, Colombia’s capital, the Hague Group gathered to its international summit to implement action against Israel’s offensive in Gaza. In this regard, Colombian President Gustavo Petro stated: “We have lived Gaza in our blood; we were also invaded. And yes, we can criticize Hamas, but not the Palestinian people; they have the right to rebel because their lands were occupied.”
Petro added: “Our Colombian lands were also occupied by the Spanish, one of our islands by the French and English, and Panama by the Americans, and they took territory from us. A people who are being occupied deserves to rebel; rebellion is not a crime”.
In this context, Petro took aim at the US-led Atlantic military alliance, stating: “We must leave NATO (the North Atlantic Treaty Organization); there is no other way. And our relationship with Europe can no longer be governed by European governments that betray their own people and are helping to drop bombs.”
(Colombia is not a NATO member. But the country has concluded a partnership agreement with NATO, and in 2022, US President Biden has designated Colombia a Major Non-NATO ally. This includes educational programs, especially US security assistance in forms of arms sales, Colombia’s participation in peace-keeping missions, joint maritime security projects, UWI.)
“Isn’t it time for another military alliance? How can we stand with armies that drop bombs on children?” he said, referring to the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
The statements were part of the closing session of the international summit of the Hague Group, an alliance made up of Colombia, South Africa, Bolivia, Cuba, Indonesia, Iraq, Libya, Malaysia, Namibia, Nicaragua, Oman and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The alliance agreed in its final document to take a series of direct measures against Israel.
Suspension of military trade with Israel
At the conclusion of a ministerial conference held in Bogotá at the request of the Hague Group, Petro announced a joint military embargo against Israel for the crimes committed in Gaza.
The Colombian president supported the measure taken by all the countries in the group, which consists of ceasing military trade with Israel as part of an ethical foreign policy that condemns all forms of occupation, racism, and structural violence. In this regard, Petro stated that “we cannot talk about freedom while a people like the Palestinians is being murdered.”
The embargo includes a suspension of arms trade, dual-use equipment, military fuel, and all types of logistical support that may be linked to the Israeli offensive. The signatory countries will also restrict the docking and transit of ships carrying weapons related to Israel and will review all public contracts that directly or indirectly support the occupation of Palestinian territory.
The decision was read by Colombian Deputy Minister Mauricio Jaramillo, who emphasized that these actions seek to curb war crimes and demonstrate that the Global South can act with dignity and determination in the face of injustice.
The joint resolution also calls on the UN Economic and Social Council to urgently investigate the humanitarian situation in Gaza. An emphasis is made on the health and nutritional collapse affecting millions of civilians, and to submit a detailed report to the next General Assembly.
The signatories of the declaration include Colombia, Cuba, Bolivia, Nicaragua, South Africa, Indonesia, Malaysia, Iraq, Libya, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, among others. Latin American support was key to the implementation of the measure, consolidating a clear stance against the policy of extermination in Gaza and the passivity of the northern countries.
The Colombian presidency defended the need for multilateral action consistent with the principles of human rights and international law. Petro reaffirmed that the emerging multipolar world cannot be built on indifference to the suffering of the Palestinian people.
Previously published in Spanish on TeleSUR here. Translation by UWI.