'Visa is a privilege, not a right': State Department blocks Petro-Mamdani meeting

Two months before his term ends, Colombian President Gustavo Petro – one of the most vocal anti-Israel voices in the international arena – arrived in New York this week and managed to set off two simultaneous storms. On Wednesday, he used his position as chair of a UN Security Council debate to compare Israel to the Nazis. That same evening, The Washington Post reported that the Trump administration had secretly blocked a meeting Petro had planned with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, which would have been Mamdani's first encounter with a foreign leader since taking office.

Petro is Colombia's first left-wing president in the country's history. Since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, he has been among the leading figures driving the international campaign against Israel. He arrived in New York as part of his country's rotation to the presidency of the UN Security Council for June. According to The Washington Post, alongside his UN engagements, he had planned to meet with Mamdani for a joint public event on the theme of "democracy in the Western Hemisphere" – a move that sources described to the paper as an attempt to elevate Mamdani as a leading figure of the global left.

According to The Washington Post, the meeting was pulled from the agenda at the last minute following a meeting in Bogotá between State Department officials and senior members of the Colombian government, in which it was made clear that the event was "unacceptable" and would constitute a violation of Petro's visa terms, which are limited strictly to UN-related activities.

In Colombia, the message landed clearly. If Petro met with Mamdani, he risked arrest. "A visa is a privilege, not a right," a senior State Department official told the paper, hinting that Petro's standing in the United States depended on his conduct.

The backdrop to all of this is Petro's previous visit to New York in September. At the time, outside UN headquarters, Petro addressed pro-Palestinian demonstrators, attacked US support for Israel in the Gaza war, and called on American soldiers to refuse President Trump's orders – declaring he would build a volunteer army to "liberate Palestine."

"I ask every soldier in the US Army not to point their rifles at human beings," he said. "Refuse Trump's orders. Obey the orders of humanity."

The Trump administration responded swiftly, revoking his visa and imposing personal sanctions under "authorities related to the war on drugs." The visa was restored only in March, as part of an agreement between the two sides, and only for the duration of his presidential term.

"We are returning to the age of the Nazis"

On Wednesday, while presiding over a UN Security Council debate on the situation in the Middle East, Petro seized the platform to sharply attack Israel and compare its conduct in the war against Hamas to Nazi policy. "This is what causes missiles to fall on people, on babies," he said. "The numbers cannot be hidden. And this is the real connecting thread of what I am about to say here: we are returning to the age of the Nazis."

The remarks came just days after Petro himself had triggered an uproar when he posted the phrase "Heil Hitler" on X in response to an article backing the right-wing candidate in Colombia's presidential election, Abelardo de la Espriella. The post drew sharp condemnations from Israel and Jewish organizations around the world. Petro attempted to defend it, claiming he was not identifying with the Nazi slogan but rather criticizing what he called the "fascist expressions" of the article's author. On Wednesday, in his Security Council address, Petro tried to soften his remarks and acknowledged he should have "provided more context" for the post.

The first to respond was Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon, who called Petro on X "a delusional leader spreading antisemitic statements" and charged that the UN Security Council had "given him a platform." "It is not clear what he took before this morning's debate," Danon added, "but nothing justifies the vile words that came out of his mouth."

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar joined the condemnation as well. On X, Sa'ar called Petro "a disgraced outgoing president" and "a stain on his great nation."

"An antisemite who systematically trivializes the memory of the Holocaust," he wrote. "He is a communist who has destroyed his great country. Soon he will be history."

Petro's appearance in New York comes in the thick of Colombia's presidential election campaign. His term ends in August, and he cannot stand again. On June 21, a runoff will be held between Iván Espada, the left-wing candidate and Petro's ally, and Abelardo de la Espriella, the right-wing candidate who has received Trump's public backing and is identified with a pro-American and pro-Israel line. If Espada wins, Petro's anti-Israel policy is expected to remain in place. If De la Espriella wins, a path is expected to open toward restoring ties between Jerusalem and Bogotá – ties that were severed in May 2024, when Petro accused Israel of "genocide" in Gaza. Before Petro came to power, Colombia was considered one of Israel's closest friends in Latin America.