New York [US], September 27 : The US Department of State said on Friday (US local time) that it will be revoking the visa of Colombian President Gustavo Petro over his actions of inciting violence and urging American soldiers to disobey orders. The Colombian President had expressed support for the Palestinian cause while Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu delivered his speech at the UN General Assembly, as reported by Anadolu Ajansi.
In a post on X, the State Department said, "Earlier today, Colombian president @petrogustavo stood on a NYC street and urged U.S. soldiers to disobey orders and incite violence. We will revoke Petro's visa due to his reckless and incendiary actions."
https://x.com/StateDept/status/1971758644929925312
According to Anadolu Ajansi (AA), the statement by the State Department came Petro joined demonstrators in New York, alongside British musician Roger Waters, during the address of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the UN General Assembly.
"What is happening in Gaza is clearly out of discussion is a genocide," Petro told the crowd as per AA.
He appealed to US soldiers, urging them not to follow President Donald Trump's orders. "From New York, I ask to all the soldiers of the USA army not to put your hands against the people," he said, according to AA.
"Disobey Trump's order, obey the order of humanity," said Petro, AA further reported.
Post the announcement by State Department, Colombia's Interior Minister Armando Beneditti said on X that the Colombian President's visa was revoked because he denounced the "genocide against Palestine at the UN" and dared to "tell the truth" in the face of not only the US but also the world.
He wrote on X, "They took away @petrogustavo's visa because he was one of the few presidents who dared to denounce the genocide against Palestine at the UN. But they protect Netanyahu. Petro dared to tell the truth to the face of the United States and the world.
https://x.com/AABenedetti/status/1971774825296547904
AA, citing Colombian media reports mentioned that Petro was already traveling to Bogota from New York late Friday.
It further reported that the US also denied visas to Palestinian officials, including President Mahmoud Abbas, blocking them from attending the UN General Assembly in New York.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a fiery address at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Friday, repeatedly invoking the October 7 attacks in Israel and drawing parallels with the September 11 terror strikes in the United States.
Netanyahu said, "Giving the Palestinians a state one mile from Jerusalem after October 7 is like giving al-Qaeda a state one mile from New York City after September 11." Members of the US delegation, Israel's closest ally and largest military supporter, were seen applauding as he spoke.
"This is sheer madness. It's insane, and we won't do it," Netanyahu added, while strongly criticising recent moves by Western nations to recognise a Palestinian state formally. "You didn't do something right. You did something wrong, horribly wrong," he said, insisting such steps would only embolden further attacks on Jews and "innocent people everywhere."
The Israeli leader maintained that granting Palestinian statehood would be akin to rewarding groups like Hamas, even as he acknowledged that 157 countries across the world have already recognised the State of Palestine.
As his speech drew to a close, Netanyahu struck an optimistic tone, asserting that Israel's ongoing conflict would ultimately lead to a more stable region. He suggested that peace with Lebanon was possible, despite ongoing clashes with Hezbollah, and noted contacts with Syria, even as Damascus continues to condemn Israeli strikes.
Netanyahu's remarks came even as the PA's President, Mahmoud Abbas, used his own UNGA speech a day earlier to stress Palestine's readiness to cooperate with the US, Saudi Arabia, France and the UN in efforts to establish peace in Gaza. Abbas also reiterated that Palestinians would "never leave their homeland."
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