Yasin Gungor
10 June 2026•Update: 10 June 2026
Colombian President Gustavo Petro attributed violence in the Middle East to a global thirst for hydrocarbons and a resurgence of "Nazi ideology" during a high-level UN session Wednesday.
“That is the fight for hydrocarbons, the fight for oil; that's what makes missiles rain down on peoples, on babies,” Petro told the Security Council.
He argued that the widespread consumption of oil, fueled by greed, has triggered the climate crisis and the spreading wars unfolding across the region.
The Colombian leader, whose nation holds the monthly presidency of the council, tied the Israeli killing of thousands in the Gaza Strip to greed. "Those numbers cannot be hidden. No political or economic interest can conceal that fact," said Petro.
He described the "cultural origin" of the war as being rooted in racism, warning that the world is returning to an era of fascism.
Petro cautioned that artificial intelligence is being manipulated by a wealthy "elite" to spread disinformation and “blur the line between truth and lies.”
During the debate, the US representative issued an implicit rebuke to the Colombian president, stating that Washington “condemns antisemitic rhetoric and any comments that reduce the atrocities of the Holocaust.”
Responding directly to the US criticism, Petro clarified that he does not intend to diminish historical atrocities but prevent a "new Holocaust" targeting "people of the Third World." He argued that the international community must guard against the same horrors that led to the creation of the UN, specifically regarding the genocide in Gaza.
The Colombian president rejected the concept of "malign" or "wicked" civilizations, asserting that "all of humankind are chosen by God" rather than a specific group.
He reaffirmed his support for a two-state solution, calling for a "free, sovereign Palestine" alongside Israel, where both civilizations are mutually respected and protected.
