Gustavo Petro, the president of Colombia and a leftist, gave a speech at the Venezuela Book Fair in Caracas on Saturday (18) where he labeled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a “madman” who is “killing a lot of people” in Gaza. During his speech, he also compared Netanyahu’s actions to those of Herod. In his latest book, “Una vida, muchas vidas,” Petro explores these criticisms of Israel and the United States.

Petro has been critical of Israel’s actions in Gaza and has even claimed that if he had lived in Germany in 1933, he would have fought on the side of the Jews. He has also promised to take Israel to the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes and has proposed measures such as admitting Palestine as a full member to the United Nations and stopping purchases of weapons from countries that did not support a ceasefire in Gaza.

However, this stance has drawn criticism from Israel, with President Isaac Herzog condemning Latin American countries, including Colombia, for opposing the Israeli offensive in Gaza. The Jewish state has described Petro’s statements as “hostile and anti-Semitic” and has criticized him for not condemning terrorist attacks carried out against the country. Despite this criticism, Petro remains steadfast in his criticisms and proposals regarding the situation in Gaza.