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Middle East conflict

Colombia withdraws diplomats from Israel — Foreign Ministry

Earlier, Colombian President Gustavo Petro promised to sever diplomatic relations with Israel on May 2

MEXICO CITY, May 2. /TASS/. Colombia's diplomatic staff will return home after the severing of diplomatic relations with Israel amid the Jewish state's military operation in the Gaza Strip, the Colombian Foreign Ministry said.

"Colombian diplomatic staff will return to our country. Our compatriots in Israel and Palestine will continue to receive the necessary assistance and services from the consular section of the embassy in Tel Aviv," the ministry said in a statement uploaded to its website.

On Wednesday, Colombian President Gustavo Petro promised to sever diplomatic relations with Israel on May 2. According to the Foreign Ministry’s statement, the Israeli side will be notified of the scope of the measure announced by the president through official channels.

The Colombian Foreign Ministry also stated that the country had repeatedly urged a ceasefire, the immediate release of hostages and humanitarian aid for the people of the Palestinian Gaza Strip.

"Unfortunately, the appeals of Colombia and the international community have been ignored. In response President Gustavo Petro has seen insults, distorted accusations of anti-Semitism and unfriendly actions from the Israeli government and its representatives," the statement reads. The Colombian Foreign Ministry notes that the decision is not directed against "the Israeli people or Jewish communities," but affects only diplomatic ties between the two countries.

On May 1, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz called the Colombian leader anti-Semitic, who chose "to side with monsters."

Last October, Colombia's leadership decided to recall its ambassador to Israel for consultations because of the military operation in the Gaza Strip. President Gustavo Petro said the strikes on the enclave and its blockade were causing casualties and destruction similar to the aftermath of the Nazi suppression of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising in 1943. The Israeli authorities summoned Colombia’s ambassador Margarita Manjarres to the Foreign Ministry, deeming Petro's remarks anti-Semitic. In response, the president did not rule out the possibility of suspending diplomatic relations with the Jewish state.

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