Desk Report:
A moment of great solidarity was witnessed at the United Nations General Assembly. After Colombian President Gustavo Petro made a strong statement on Israel’s aggression in Gaza, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva hugged him and kissed him on the head. This information was reported by the Indian media Money Control.
In his speech, Petro strongly criticized Israel. He called the Israelis “Nazis” and accused the Palestinians of genocide. Petro proposed that an international military coalition led by Asian countries should be formed to liberate Palestine. At the same time, he called for an end to sending arms ships to Israel.
In his speech, Petro said, “Ladies and gentlemen, no nation is superior. There is no such thing as God’s chosen nation. It doesn’t matter if it is the United States or Israel. Only ignorant, right-wing fanatics can think like that. In fact, God’s chosen people are all of humanity.’
At that time, he attacked the United States and the Western world, saying, ‘They use immigration as an excuse to do nothing to address the climate crisis, while this crisis is hitting lives every day. They use immigration to get votes from whites and the elderly, but they remain silent about it when they come to power.’
Regarding the United Nations, Petro said, ‘The United Nations must change now. A changed, humane United Nations must first stop the genocide in Gaza.’
Then, after the speech, Lula hugged Petro and kissed him on the head. His gesture quickly became a topic of discussion around the world after it went viral on social media. International media and UN diplomats described it as an unprecedented event. Many also saw it as a public endorsement of Petro’s statement.
Petro has been a strong critic of Israel since the start of the Gaza war. In his speech at the United Nations, he invoked the name of Nazi Germany’s propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels. Petro claims that Goebbels is giving instructions to the world today to spread the news of Gaza. He also said that the greatest anti-Semitism today is “a repetition of Hitler’s genocide, but this time against the Palestinians.”
The United States and Jewish organizations reacted angrily to Petro’s statements. They condemned the Nazi comparison and such language. Not only in words, Petro’s position is also reflected in Colombian policy. In October 2023, after Petro compared the Israeli defense minister to a Nazi, Israel stopped exporting security equipment to Colombia. Later, Colombia also completely suspended the purchase of weapons from Israel.
Earlier, in May 2024, Petro announced that Colombia would sever diplomatic relations with Israel. He called the Israeli leadership “genocide.” In addition, Colombia has formally applied to the International Court of Justice to participate in the genocide case against Israel filed by South Africa.
After Lula’s public support at the UN, Latin American unity in the diplomatic arena on the Gaza issue has now acquired a new symbolic image.
