The reactions to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war from outside perspectives have spoken volumes. Colombian President Gustavo Petro recently put out a tweet comparing Israel to Nazi Germany and accused the Jewish State of genocide. Representative Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL) released a joint statement with Representative Mike McCaul (R-TX) condemning Petro's remarks.
Si hay que suspender relaciones exteriores con Israel las suspendemos. No apoyamos genocidios.
Al presidente de Colombia no se le insulta.
Convoco a América Laltina a una solidaridad real con Colombia. Y si no es capaz, será el desarrollo de la historia la que dirá la última… https://t.co/WpafrsWkC2
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) October 15, 2023
Translated from Spanish, President Petro said, "If we have to suspend foreign relations with Israel, we suspend them. We do not support genocides."
Additionally, he called on Latin America to stand with Colombia, saying if they do not, "it will be the development of history that will say the last word as in the great Chaco war," referencing the bloody conflict between Colombia and Paraguay over the Chaco region from 1932 to 1935.
From here, Petro railed against two former members of the Israeli Army who worked in Colombia in the past as advisors, Yair Klein and Raifal Eithan:
"Neither the Yair Klein [former Israeli Lt. Colonel] nor the Raifal Eithan [former Israeli Army Chief of Staff] will be able to say what the history of peace in Colombia is. They unleashed the massacre and genocide in Colombia."
Klein helped train members of the right-wing United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia in the 1980s to battle the Communist FARC while committing war crimes of their own, while Eithan once advised former President Virgilio Barco to kill political opposition.
As a result, Petro continued, "From the people of Israel, I demand help in the peace of Colombia and help in the peace of Palestine and the world. "
Concluding, he said, "Someday, the army and government of Israel will ask us for forgiveness for what their men did in our land, unleashing the genocide. I will hug them and they will cry for the murder of Auschwitz and Gaza, and for the Colombian Auschwitz. Hitler will be defeated for the good of humanity, its democracy, Peace, and freedom of the world."
In her press release, Rep. Salazar called Petro's statement "unhinged and antisemitic," adding that "In no universe should any leader, especially one that governs a democratic nation, compare Israel to Nazi Germany and accuse it of genocide."
Moreover, Rep. Salazar warned the tweet could "inflame antisemitism and threaten the security of Colombia’s Jewish community."
Finally, she said this adds another blow to the relationship between America and Colombia, as Petro has considered decriminalizing small-scale coca production and opening negotiations with Venezuela.
"We are appalled by President Petro’s unhinged and antisemitic posts on X. In no universe should any leader, especially one that governs a democratic nation, compare Israel to Nazi Germany and accuse it of genocide. Comments such as these inflame antisemitism and threaten the security of Colombia’s Jewish community. President Petro’s continued anti-democratic behavior and hostility with the truth threaten our historic bilateral relationship," the full statement read.
In July, Salazar had previously criticized Petro as "socialist."
