Colombia’s President Claims Human Pressure Influenced Israel-Hamas Peace Deal
Colombia’s far-left President Gustavo Petro stated on Thursday that “pressure” from Colombia and other nations contributed to a peace agreement between Israel and Hamas, which was facilitated by President Donald Trump. This seems to question Trump’s direct attempts to manage the situation.
Petro asserted that it was “human pressure” that compelled Trump to “learn despite his arrogance” and “say no to Israel.”
The president made these claims during the Global Gateway Forum 2025 in Brussels, a European Union event, where he also noted his role as the current Chair of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).
“There is war, there is genocide, it is genocide that must be stopped. We knew that many countries around the world, including Colombia, one of the first, understood that only humanitarian pressure could halt this genocide,” Petro said.
He went on to emphasize that “only the massive demonstrations we have just seen in Europe, diplomatic pressure from Latin America, which did not vote against the ceasefire, pressure from Africa, which also did not oppose it, and the position of Asia, will ensure that more than half of the countries, including the United States, remain isolated in support of Israel.”
Petro continued, asserting that Trump now perceives that “despite his arrogance and previous backlash, he has learned that it is global pressure that is forcing Israel to say no and recognize the need for a ceasefire along with other mediators such as Qatar and Egypt.”
“Whether it’s a ceasefire or otherwise, the exchange of hostages continues, with thousands of individuals on both the Israeli and Palestinian sides in the hands of Hamas,” he remarked. “It will move toward humanity’s aim of ensuring that two nations in the same region respect each other, and that will happen.”
Petro has consistently accused Israel of “genocide” in Gaza in its defensive measures against Hamas. He has sharply condemned Israel’s actions, likening them to the behaviors of Nazi Germany during World War II. Following the October 7, 2023 terrorist attack on Israel, he expressed concerns about Israel turning Gaza into a concentration camp reminiscent of Auschwitz. A few months later, in May 2024, Petro abruptly broke off relations with Israel, ending decades of friendly ties between the nations.
The president also targeted Trump, accusing him of being complicit in “genocide” during a volatile speech at the United Nations General Assembly in September. Among a series of other claims, Petro urged the U.S. to form a multinational force to intervene in Gaza and “liberate Palestine.”
He subsequently participated in a pro-Palestinian demonstration in New York, where he called on U.S. military personnel to “disobey” orders, urging for Trump to take on a military leadership role but simultaneously calling for his arrest on genocide charges.
“This proposed army must be larger than just the U.S. That’s why, from New York, I ask every U.S. service member not to point their weapons at humanity. I will not follow Trump’s orders. I urge you to obey humanity’s commands,” Petro declared, accompanied by renowned activist Roger Waters.
Petro, who previously belonged to the Marxist M19 group, is Colombia’s first leftist president. During the New York demonstration, he stressed that he harbors “no animosity” towards Jews or Israel, mentioning that “some of them are my friends.” He also touched on his history with M19 and past connections to pro-Palestinian organizations.
The U.S. State Department subsequently revoked Petro’s visa due to his statements. Petro responded by downplaying the charges against Trump, reiterating his call for the military to ignore the president’s orders.
“If Mr. Trump continues to be complicit in genocide as he has been, he will have no option but to face imprisonment. The military should not obey him,” Petro stated during a Cabinet meeting broadcast in late September. Earlier in July, he accused “white descendants of slaveholders” of undermining a presidential directive that aimed to halt the export of Colombian coal to Israel, alleging that Israel was using it to create bombs that kill Palestinian children. These claims were dismissed by representatives of Colombia’s coal sector, who clarified that the exported coal was utilized for electricity generation, including for the Gaza Strip.
