Colombian President Gustavo Petro faced backlash from the U.S. government after he urged American soldiers to “disobey Trump’s order” during a speech at a pro-Palestinian rally in New York. The State Department described his comments as “reckless and incendiary” and announced plans to revoke his visa.

Petro, who was attending the UN General Assembly, criticized U.S. airstrikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats, calling for a criminal inquiry into the Trump administration’s actions. He claimed these strikes served not to combat drug trafficking, but to exert violence over Colombia and Latin America. Petro stated that U.S. soldiers should “not point their rifles at humanity,” urging them instead to resist orders that incite violence.

Controversially, Colombian Interior Minister Armando Benedetti suggested that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should have faced visa revocation instead, criticizing the U.S. for its protective stance towards him. Relations between Petro’s leftist administration and Washington have become increasingly fraught.

This situation is compounded by Washington’s decision to deny visas to several Palestinian leaders, including President Mahmoud Abbas, sidelining them from the UN assembly despite the convention allowing leader attendance irrespective of U.S. relations.



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