Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro welcomed a ceasefire between the government of Israel and the Palestinian armed group Hamas.

Petro celebrated the news on social media platform X, claiming that it was the Global South, including Colombia, that pressured US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop the genocide in Gaza.

It is very easy to understand: as long as Trump supported Netanyahu, the genocide would continue indefinitely. Only by applying pressure through humanity… and the firm stance of South Africa, Colombia, and dozens of other countries, only by separating most of Europe from the designs of the US government, was it possible to briefly and partially separate Trump from Netanyahu. Trump held the key to the conflict; without US military support, Netanyahu would disappear in his own aggression, so he has used his key well.

Gustavo Petro

The president added that his proposal to create a protection force with the support of the United Nations General Assembly stands, albeit to help rebuild Palestine, instead of liberating the occupied territories.

Petro cautioned that there is no guarantee that the ceasefire will hold or lead to the creation of a Palestinian state.

We are aware of the failures of previous truces and hope that this time we will indeed move towards a Palestinian state. If Palestine’s self-determination is respected, our proposal for an army remains, but to take on the tasks of rehabilitation, shoulder to shoulder with the Palestinians.

Gustavo Petro

Petro has been one of the most vocal opponents of Israel since the beginning of the genocide in October 2023.

As part of his opposition, the president cut ties with Israel, banned coal exports and weapon imports, and proposed the creation of an international armed force to liberate Palestine.

According to Gaza’s health ministry, the US-backed genocide killed more than 67,000 people. Scholars have estimated that 80% of the killed Palestinians are unarmed civilians, mainly women and children.