Paul Renner bashes Colombian President’s move to end relations with Israel

House Speaker Paul Renner spoke about the positives and negatives of requiring Primary runoffs. But no committee in his chamber weighed the issue. Image via Colin Hackley/Florida Politics.

Colombia President Gustavo Petro said his country will end diplomatic relations with Israel over its actions during the war on Hamas, the terrorist organization that attacked it on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 and taking about 250 hostages.

That prompted a rebuke from House Speaker Paul Renner, whose wife is Colombian and who held a discussion with former right-wing Colombian President Alvaro Uribe and others earlier this year at the Capitol during the Regular Session.

“Gustavo Petro, Colombia’s leftist president, has chosen to break diplomatic ties between Colombia and Israel, while maintaining ties with China, Russia, Iran and other totalitarian regimes,” Renner, a Palm Coast Republican, said in a released statement.

“Petro’s betrayal of a nation that respects democracy and the rule of law in favor of terrorists who attacked innocents on October 7 reminds us that America must re-engage with the millions of Latin Americans who support freedom and reject the totalitarian spirit of Marxism.”

Petro’s announcement of the ending of diplomatic ties, which is set to begin Thursday, came during a speech before thousands of supporters as he attempted to rally support for his economic and health care changes.

According to The Associated Press, thousands of opposition protesters rallied against the reforms last week, and Petro suffered a setback earlier in the year when the Colombia Legislature rejected his plans for more state control of the health care system as he sought to lower the cost of care. In response, he issued a decree taking state control of the two largest health insurers.

Petro, a former guerrilla with the left-wing M-19 group, was elected President in 2022. He has heavily criticized Israel since it invaded the Gaza Strip following the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7.

“My wife, Adriana, and I stand firmly with the people of Colombia, who understand that Petro has chosen evil over the good and who remain steadfast in their support of the free nation of Israel,” Renner said.

“Now more than ever, the international community must take a stand and reject terrorism so that Israel (and all nations) will never again face the massacre of innocents and taking of hostages that occurred on October 7.”