Colombia’s president says country will break diplomatic relations with Israel over war in Gaza

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombian President Gustavo Petro says his government will break diplomatic relations with Israel effective Thursday in the latest escalation of tensions between both countries over the Israel-Hamas war. Petro made the announcement Wednesday during an International Workers’ Day march in Colombia’s capital. In his speech, he again described Israel’s siege of Gaza as “genocide.” He previously suspended purchases of weapons from Israel and compared that country’s actions in Gaza to those of Nazi Germany. Colombia had been one of Israel’s closest partners in Latin America. But relations between the two nations have cooled since Petro was elected as Colombia’s first leftist president in 2022.