Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro speaks during the inauguration of the International Book Fair (FilBo) in Bogota, Colombia, April 17, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez

Colombian President Gustavo Petro said on Wednesday that his country will sever diplomatic ties with Israel over its military campaign in Gaza, the Palestinian enclave bordering the Jewish state.

“Here in front of you, the government of change, of the president of the republic announces that tomorrow we will break diplomatic relations with the state of Israel … for having a government, for having a president who is genocidal,” Petro told supporters in Bogota at a rally marking International Worker’s Day.

The crowd cheered the president’s remarks about Israel, and Petro — a fierce critic of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — said that countries must not remain passive in the face of what’s happening in Gaza.

Petro’s declaration came after he requested to join South Africa’s case at the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of committing “state-led genocide” in Gaza. Israel and its allies have derided the allegations as baseless.

The war in Gaza began on Oct. 7 when Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist group that rules the enclave, invaded the Jewish state, murdered, 1,200 people, and kidnapped 253 others as hostages. Israel launched a military campaign aimed at freeing the hostages and incapacitating Hamas to the point that it can no longer pose a major threat to the Israeli people from Gaza.