CETRI
On July 15 and 16, 2025, Colombia and South Africa, as co-chairs of the Hague Group, convened an emergency ministerial summit in Bogotá to coordinate stronger action against the genocide in Palestine.
President Gustavo Petro announced the initiative in a column published in The Guardian, warning that « governments like mine have a duty to confront Israel. » Petro criticized the international community’s inaction and recalled that, in September 2024, the UN General Assembly demanded that Israel withdraw from the occupied Palestinian territories within 12 months. « If we do not act now, we will not only betray the Palestinian people, but we will be complicit in Netanyahu’s atrocities, » he wrote.
Francesca Albanese, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, will attend the summit. Albanese was recently sanctioned by the United States for her denunciations of genocide and ethnic cleansing in Palestine. The measures against her include the revocation of her visa and the freezing of her financial assets. “It is an honor for me to travel to Bogotá in support of The Hague Group and its pursuit of justice and peace—based on rights and freedoms—that an increasing number of countries are finally embracing after decades of empty political rhetoric,” Albanese said through her official X account.
Colombia leads a global coalition against genocide
On January 31, 2025, Colombia, along with Bolivia, Cuba, Honduras, Malaysia, Namibia, Senegal, and South Africa, formed the Hague Group, an international alliance guided by the United Nations Charter and the duty to prevent genocide. In their inaugural declaration, the countries adopted three decisive measures : 1) Comply with the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrants against Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant for war crimes ; 2) Impose arms and fuel embargoes to prevent Israel from continuing its offensive ; and 3) Block suspicious vessels from docking in ports under their jurisdiction, preventing arms trafficking to Israel. This initiative reflects a commitment to international justice and a frontal criticism of Israel’s impunity, historically supported by Western powers.
In response to the request for legal guidance submitted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 19, 2024, requesting an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the legality of Israel’s actions in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Colombia took a leading position in The Hague on April 29, denouncing Israel’s actions as a systematic violation of international law and a direct attack on the sovereignty of peoples. Deputy Foreign Minister for Multilateral Affairs Mauricio Jaramillo Jassir, the grandson of Palestinians and a key figure in Colombian foreign policy, has emphatically pointed out that Israel has not only created a humanitarian crisis in Gaza but has deliberately blocked international assistance, leaving the Palestinian population in a state of extreme vulnerability.
« Colombia maintains that Israel has engaged in escalations that have placed the Palestinian population in an impossible situation, » Jaramillo testified before the ICJ on May 25, 2025. « This country has imposed serious impediments on international organizations and States from fulfilling their assistance obligations. Israel has placed Palestine exclusively under its control, hindering the work of humanitarian agencies, which are the only protection for a population facing war, destruction, and the denial of basic rights such as health and education. »
Since Jaramillo Jassir took office in February, the Colombian Foreign Ministry has radicalized its national strategy for peace and recognition of Palestine. The Vice Minister for Multilateral Affairs has been a key player in this diplomatic advance. In interviews and speeches, the academic has denounced Israel’s strategies, referring to its influence in the media, governments, and international organizations to silence criticism. « Colombia cannot remain indifferent to apartheid, ethnic cleansing, and genocide in Gaza, » he stated via the ministry’s social media regarding the Hague Group meeting in Bogotá.
Criticism and retaliation : the Zionist lobby against Colombia
Colombia’s stance has not been without its share of attacks. The Simon Wiesenthal Center, an NGO affiliated with the international Zionist lobby, described the Bogotá summit as an « inquisitorial tribunal against Israel. » Ariel Gelblung, its Latin America director, accused Petro of « spreading hatred against Israel’s very existence » and of ignoring the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023.
For his part, Marcos Peckel, director of the Confederation of Jewish Communities of Colombia, called the summit « biased and dangerous, » arguing that Petro « does not condemn Hamas » and that his rhetoric puts Jewish communities in Latin America at risk.
While organizations like DAIA (the Delegation of Israeli Associations) in Argentina are prosecuting pro-Palestinian actions—even criminalizing social media comments like « stop killing babies in Gaza »—the Colombian government insists that the defense of human rights cannot be selective. The Simon Wiesenthal Center and other lobbies are allegedly acting as interventionist and enforcers of Israel’s international interests and threatening states that dare to denounce its crimes.
A call to coordinated action for Palestine
The Bogotá summit is not just a diplomatic event : it is a turning point in the fight against Israeli impunity. With Petro and Jaramillo at the forefront, Colombia is consolidating its position as a global leader in the defense of international justice, challenging traditional powers and reminding everyone that no state is above the law.
