The United States has announced it will revoke Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s visa after he took part in a pro-Palestinian rally in New York, where he urged U.S. soldiers to defy orders from President Donald Trump. The State Department described Petro’s actions as “reckless and incendiary” in a statement on X.
At the demonstration outside the United Nations, Petro called for a global military force focused on freeing Palestinians, saying, “This force has to be bigger than that of the United States.” Addressing U.S. troops in Spanish, he said, “Disobey the orders of Trump. Obey the orders of humanity.”
Petro, Colombia’s first leftist president, has been critical of Israel’s military actions in Gaza, which followed a Hamas attack in October 2023 that killed over 1,200 people. He accused Trump of being “complicit in genocide” in a U.N. speech earlier this week.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned countries recognising Palestinian statehood at the same event, accusing them of encouraging violence against Jews.
The conflict has caused severe humanitarian suffering in Gaza, with over 65,000 Palestinians killed and widespread displacement. While some experts label Israel’s actions as genocide, Israel denies this, citing self-defence.
The U.S. also denied a visa to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, citing security concerns despite past agreements requiring the U.S. to allow diplomats access to the U.N.
Relations between Colombia and the U.S. have been rocky under Petro. He initially refused to accept deportees under Trump’s immigration policies, but relented after diplomatic pressure. Recently, Colombia was added to a list of countries accused by the U.S. of failing to meet counter-narcotics commitments.
The visa revocation shows growing diplomatic tensions amid divided international responses to the Gaza crisis, with several European nations recognising Palestinian statehood while Israel and the U.S. oppose it.