BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Wednesday announced his government will break diplomatic relations with Israel effective Thursday in the latest escalation of tensions between the countries over the Israel-Hamas war.
Petro again described Israel’s siege of Gaza as “genocide.” He previously suspended purchases of weapons from Israel and compared that country’s actions in Gaza to those of Nazi Germany.
“Tomorrow, diplomatic relations with the State of Israel will be broken … for having a genocidal president,” Petro said during an International Workers’ Day march in Colombia’s capital. “If Palestine dies, humanity dies, and we are not going to let it die.”
Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz quickly rebuked Petro’s comments on the platform X.
“History will remember that Gustavo Petro decided to side with the most despicable monsters known to mankind who burned babies, murdered children, raped women and kidnapped innocent civilians,” he said.
Weeks after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel that sparked the current war in Gaza and killed some 1,200 people, Petro recalled Colombia’s ambassador to Israel as he criticized the country’s military offensive.
Historically, Colombia had been one of Israel’s closest partners in Latin America. But relations between the two nations have cooled since Petro was elected as Colombia’s first leftist president in 2022.
Colombia uses Israeli-built warplanes and machine guns to fight drug cartels and rebel groups, and both countries signed a free trade agreement in 2020.
“Relations between Israel and Colombia always were warm and no antisemitic and hate-filled president will succeed in changing that," Katz wrote Tuesday. "The state of Israel will continue to defend its citizens without worry and without fear.”
The South American country deepened its military ties with Israel in the late 1980s by purchasing Kfir fighter jets that were used by Colombia’s air force in numerous attacks on remote guerrilla camps that debilitated the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. The attacks helped push the group into peace talks that resulted in its disarmament in 2016.
Petro participated in Wednesday’s march in Bogota to promote his proposed health care, pension and labor reforms.
Israeli soldiers gather near the Israeli-Gaza border in southern Israel before they enter Gaza Strip, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
SYDNEY (AP) — Australian professional soccer was rocked Friday by accusations that the captain of A-League club Macarthur FC paid two younger teammates up to 10,000 Australian dollars ($6,600) to deliberately receive yellow cards in a scheme set up by a South American gambling connection.
Local media identified Macarthur team leader Ulises Davila and fellow players Kearyn Baccus and Clayton Lewis as the players arrested over their alleged involvement in the match-fixing scheme, which police say led to hundreds of thousands of dollars being paid out in winnings.
Authorities still want to interview a fourth player allegedly involved in the scheme, threatening to extradite him if he does not return to New South Wales state to face questioning.
Investigators allege yellow cards were manipulated during games played on Nov. 24 and Dec. 9. They also allege unsuccessful attempts were made to do similar during matches on April 20 and May 4.
Macarthur played out a 1-1 draw with Melbourne Victory on Nov. 24 before beating Sydney FC 2-0 on Dec. 9. All three players were given yellow cards in the Dec. 9 game against Sydney.
The team beat Sydney 1-0 on April 20 before being beaten 4-0 by Sydney FC in a playoff elimination game on May 4. Macarthur finished in fifth place during the regular season.
Police Assistant Commissioner Michael Fitzgerald said the players had “betrayed the trust of their supporters and the code."
“Yellow cards and the subsequent penalties that arise out of those yellow cards could change the result of that game,” he said a media conference Friday. ”$10,000 may seem a lot of money to a young sports person, (but) that is incredibly insignificant when you consider the damage that being charged with this offense and convicted results in.”
No further information was given about the South American gambling connection.
The southwest Sydney club said it was “shocked” by the allegations, which came after a six-month police investigation.
State police said the probe was launched in December 2023 with the help of Britain-based officials after suspicious betting patterns were identified.
Macarthur FC chief executive Sam Krslovic said the club was caught off-guard by the arrests but it would work with authorities, adding: "Integrity of our game is a foundation pillar and we will work closely with all relevant agencies on this matter.”
Australian Associated Press reported that Davila was arrested on Friday at South Coogee, in Sydney’s east, when police executed a search warrant as part of the investigation. Lewis was arrested in Parramatta and Baccus was arrested in Campbelltown, both western Sydney suburbs.
Davila is expected to be charged with two counts of engaging in conduct that corrupts a betting outcome of an event and two counts of facilitating conduct that corrupts a betting outcome of an event. The other two players will be charged with engaging in conduct that corrupts a betting outcome of an event.
Authorities said on Friday the players were yet to be charged and were still at police stations, but they were likely to be given bail before initial court appearances.
Football Australia said it was made aware of the arrests on Friday morning and was cooperating with the investigation.
Macarthur FC has been in the A-League men’s competition since the 2020-21 season. The league has 11 clubs based in Australia and one in New Zealand, with this season's grand final championship match scheduled for May 25.
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Macarthur FC player Clayton Lewis heads the ball during an A-League match against Sydney FC in Sydney, May 4, 2024. Lewis and fellow players Kearyn Baccus and Ulises Davila have been arrested, Friday, May 17, 2024, over their alleged involvement in a the betting fix, which police say has led to hundreds of thousands of dollars being paid out in winnings. (Mark Evans/AAP Image via AP)
Macarthur FC player Kearyn Baccus passes the ball during an A-League match Brisbane Roar in Brisbane on Jan. 18, 2024. Baccus and fellow players Ulises Davila and Clayton Lewis have been arrested, Friday, May 17, 2024, over their alleged involvement in a the betting fix, which police say has led to hundreds of thousands of dollars being paid out in winnings. (Darren England/AAP Image via AP)
Macarthur FC player Ulises Davila passes the ball during an A-League match against Melbourne City in Sydney, March 1, 2024. Davila and fellow players Kearyn Baccus and Clayton Lewis have been arrested, Friday, May 17, 2024, over their alleged involvement in a the betting fix, which police say has led to hundreds of thousands of dollars being paid out in winnings. (Mark Evans/AAP Image via AP)
Macarthur FC players prepare for the start of an A-League Men Elimination Final match against Sydney FC in Sydney, May 4, 2024. Three A-League players, believed to be from Macarthur FC, were arrested Friday, May 17, 2024, for alleged betting corruption after police claimed they manipulated the number of yellow cards they received in games last year, Football Australia said. (Mark Evans/AAP Image via AP)
