(TJV NEWS) The Biden-era chill between Washington and Bogotá has deepened dramatically. On Friday, the U.S. State Department announced it would revoke the visa of Colombian President Gustavo Petro following a fiery anti-Israel demonstration in New York, where Petro declared he would open enlistment for Colombians to fight in Gaza and urged other nations to join the campaign.

According to the Times of Israel, Petro used the rally to denounce U.S. policy, calling on American troops to disobey President Donald Trump’s orders. The State Department, in a post on X, accused Petro of “standing on a NYC street and urging U.S. soldiers to disobey orders and incite violence.” Officials said his visa was being revoked due to “reckless and incendiary actions.”

Petro’s Fiery Pledge

Speaking through a megaphone to a crowd in New York, Petro announced: “I am going back to Colombia to open enlistment for Colombians to serve to fight in Gaza, and if I need to go and join to serve, I will.” He then called on “nations of the world” to form an international force “larger than that of the United States.”

The Times of Israel reported that Petro claimed such an army would not only defend Palestinians but safeguard “humanity” itself. “If Palestine disappears, humanity does too,” Petro told demonstrators, while wearing a keffiyeh at multiple public events.

At the same rally, Petro implored U.S. troops to “obey the orders of humanity” rather than those of President Trump, who recently authorized deadly missile strikes on drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean. Washington has described those missions as part of anti-cartel operations targeting Venezuela, but Petro accused the U.S. of killing poor, unarmed youth in the process.

Regional Fallout

The Times of Israel noted that Petro’s Interior Minister, Armando Benedetti, lashed out on social media, claiming that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visa should be revoked instead. “Since the empire protects him, it’s taking it out on the only president who was capable enough to tell him the truth to his face,” Benedetti wrote.

Ante las personas que participaron en la manifestación en apoyo a Palestina, el Presidente @petrogustavo reafirmó su compromiso de presentar una resolución ante la ONU para conformar un ejército de salvación del mundo que libere a Palestina y lograr que dos terceras partes de las… pic.twitter.com/Vf2X2lSNJv

— MinCultura Colombia (@mincultura) September 27, 2025

Petro has long positioned himself as one of Israel’s harshest critics in Latin America. Colombia cut ties with Jerusalem in May 2024, following Bolivia’s lead. The Times of Israel highlighted that Petro has repeatedly likened Israel’s war in Gaza to the Holocaust, drawing accusations of antisemitism. He has also publicly displayed a map that erased Israel entirely and replaced it with “Palestine.”

From UN Stage to the Streets

Petro had been in New York to address the UN General Assembly and the Alliance of Civilizations, a high-level UN forum. During those appearances, he repeated his call for a global “army of salvation” to intervene in Gaza, appealing directly to China’s communist government for support. “Comrade China, today is the day you dare,” Petro declared.

In Bogotá, Petro’s remarks fueled fears of deeper estrangement from Washington. Colombia has historically been one of America’s closest allies in South America. Yet the Times of Israel pointed out that relations have deteriorated under Petro, a former leftist guerrilla, especially after the Trump administration decertified Colombia as an ally in the war on drugs earlier this month.

Rising Tensions

Petro’s rhetoric comes at a moment of heightened U.S. military activity in the region. Trump recently ordered the largest American naval deployment to the southern Caribbean in years — including eight warships and a submarine — raising alarms in Venezuela of a potential invasion.

The Colombian president, whose country remains the world’s leading cocaine producer, has alleged that Colombians may have been among those killed in the U.S. strikes on suspected drug-trafficking boats.

For now, Petro is heading back to Bogotá. But after the State Department’s dramatic step, reported by the Times of Israel, the rift between the United States and Colombia looks set to widen — and Washington’s patience with Latin America’s most outspoken leftist leader may finally have snapped.