Bogotá – AFP

Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced on Wednesday the expulsion of the Israeli diplomatic mission in the country following what he described as an “international crime” committed by Israeli forces intercepting a flotilla of aid headed to the Gaza Strip.

Before this decision, only four Israeli diplomats remained in Colombia after the leftist president severed diplomatic ties with Israel last year, according to a Colombian source.

Colombian Measures Against Israel

Petro, in power since 2022, stated that Israel detained two Colombian women while sailing in “international waters,” demanding their immediate release. He emphasized his rejection of any act that harms the physical safety, freedom, or human rights of Colombians abroad.

He also announced the immediate cancellation of the free trade agreement with Israel.

In 2024, Colombia cut diplomatic relations with Israel in protest against the war in Gaza, but Israel maintained a consular representation in the South American country with 40 staff, including four diplomats.

Interception of the Freedom Flotilla

The Israeli navy intercepted ships from the aid flotilla approaching Gaza on Wednesday, including a vessel carrying Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, after Israel instructed the ships to change course.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry stated that the navy stopped several ships from the “Freedom Flotilla” aiming to break the Israeli blockade on the Palestinian territory, transferring passengers to an Israeli port. It confirmed that Greta and her companions are safe and in good health.

The “Freedom Flotilla,” which set sail from Spain in early September, includes about 45 ships carrying hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists from over 40 countries. It transports baby formula, food, and medical aid, asserting it is on a peaceful and non-violent mission.

The flotilla was heading toward the shores of Gaza, where Israel has waged a devastating war for two years that has killed more than 65,000 civilians in the Gaza Strip, whose residents currently suffer from famine and displacement.