Colombia’s outgoing president, Gustavo Petro, an outspoken critic of Israel’s war on Gaza, has criticised incoming President Abelardo de la Espriella, a far-right lawyer, for his pledge to resume relations with Israel.

“Starting relations with Israel and forgetting the Palestinian genocide as one forgets the Colombian genocide is an invitation to repeat it,” Petro wrote online.

Petro severed ties with Israel in 2024, a month after Colombia joined a case accusing Israel of genocide at the International Court of Justice.