Colombia's socialist president orders suspension of arms purchases from Israel, putting his country's security at risk

Colombia's socialist President Gustavo Petro, who has been wearing himself out in insults towards Israel since the Gaza war began last October 7, ordered his country to stop buying arms from the Jewish state.

"The world must block Netanyahu. Colombia suspends all arms purchases from Israel," Petro wrote in a post on X on February 29, in reaction to the denied case of Palestinians allegedly attacked by the Israeli army while they were receiving humanitarian aid.

For the socialist Petro, Israel is carrying out a "genocide" in Gaza against the Palestinian population and has never dared to condemn the attacks, kidnappings and massacres of the terrorist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Petro also failed to condemn the Hamas invasion of Israel last October 7, when the terrorist group committed the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, which ignited the war.

In the social media post in which Petro ordered the suspension of arms purchases, the president of Colombia dared to compare the Jewish state to the Nazi regime.

"This is called genocide and is reminiscent of the Holocaust," Petro said.

The post to which Petro reacted claimed that the Israeli Army had mercilessly and in cold blood murdered Palestinians waiting for food. However, both the U.S. State Department and the government of Israel have refuted, with documentation, the version that there was an intentional massacre. In this case, President Petro decided to echo the version spread by the Hamas terrorist group through its Ministry of Health in Gaza.

Since the war began, Israel has been under scrutiny by the media and other states regarding its treatment of civilians in the Gaza Strip. While Israel has claimed that it has done its best to avoid collateral damage, it says it is difficult when part of the strategy of the adversary, Hamas, is to use civilians as human shields.

Colombia on alert over Petro's decision

Three retired high-ranking Colombian generals, including a former army commander and a former police director, spoke this week with Colombian journalist Vicky Dávila of Semana magazine. The generals warned of how vulnerable Colombia could become if it stopped buying arms from Israel.

"It is very regrettable [the decision], with great strategic impact, at risk of national security. We have 383 men outside Colombia's border, by the Sinai Peninsula. A mission that is mistreated," said retired General Eduardo Zapateiro, who commanded the Colombian Army.

The general explained that Israel is one of Colombia's largest arms suppliers and that Petro's order would leave the kfir planes "on the ground" and Colombian soldiers "without rifles."

"One of the most important transfers is the Galil rifle, the individual equipment of all Colombian soldiers. This rifle, which is also used by the Police, has a very important element which is the soul of the weapon. The soul of this rifle is the barrel and the barrel is produced by Israel. In that order of things, Colombia would be left without rifles for our soldiers," he explained.

Guillermo León, general and former commander of the Colombian Air Force, told Semana that the decision would have "a negative impact on the Air Force."

"The situation of the Kafir aircraft... We have a fleet that is about to leave due to the fulfillment of its useful life cycle period. With this decision, what we would be doing is accelerating the exit of the equipment. Other aircraft would not be able to continue flying because there would be no flow of spare parts. The maintenance contract would not continue...The fleet would be grounded," he warned.