Colombian President Expels Israeli Diplomats Over Gaza Flotilla

In a sweeping diplomatic move, Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced Wednesday that he is expelling all Israeli diplomats and canceling Colombia’s free trade agreement with Israel, following the Israeli Navy’s interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla bound for Hamas-controlled Gaza.

The decision came after it was revealed that two Colombian citizens, Luna Barreto and Manuela Bedoya, were aboard one of the flotilla vessels. “If this information is true, there is a new international crime committed by Netanyahu,” Petro declared. “The entire diplomatic delegation of Israel must leave Colombia immediately.”

Colombia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement denouncing what it called the “kidnapping in international waters” by the IDF, accusing Israel of violating international law and the Geneva Conventions. The ministry called on countries like Spain, Ireland, Turkey, and Oman—whose citizens also participated in the flotilla to take action against Israel.

The flotilla, intercepted earlier this week by Israeli commandos, was attempting to breach the legal maritime blockade on Gaza. The Shayetet 13 naval unit boarded most of the 47 vessels involved, detaining hundreds of activists including high-profile figures like Greta Thunberg—and redirecting the aid through legal inspection routes.

Petro’s decision sparked a swift response from Hamas, which praised the Colombian leader’s move. In a statement, Hamas said it “salutes the positions of the Colombian government and President Gustavo Petro” for opposing the “Zionist occupation” and for “supporting the rights of our Palestinian people.”

This is not Petro’s first anti-Israel action. Just days earlier, his U.S. visa was revoked after he joined a pro-Palestinian protest and urged soldiers to disobey President Trump’s orders a move widely condemned in Washington. Petro’s administration also announced that Colombia will begin replacing Israeli-made Galil rifles with domestically produced alternatives.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry has yet to issue an official reply to Colombia’s expulsion order, though sources close to the matter confirmed that diplomatic staff were preparing to leave Bogota.

Despite Hamas’s rhetoric, Israel maintains that the blockade is a legal measure aimed at preventing weapons smuggling to a terror organization responsible for the October 7 massacre, in which over 1,200 Israelis were murdered and 251 hostages abducted.

Petro’s escalating hostility toward Israel signals a growing divide between radical political actors in Latin America and democratic nations standing against terror. At a time when Israel is fighting not just for its borders but for its very existence, its right to self-defense must not be undermined by politicized posturing.

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