FACT CHECK: Did Colombia Expel The Israeli Ambassador Over The Hamas-Israel Conflict?

Joseph Casieri | Fact Check Reporter

A post shared on social media claims that Colombia has expelled the Israeli Ambassador Gali Dagan after he objected to President Gustavo Petro’s comparison of Israel’s actions in Gaza to the Nazi’s treatment of the Jews.

Verdict: False

The claim is inaccurate. The foreign minister of Columbia stated the ambassador should “apologize and leave the country.”

Fact Check:

The Hamas Brigade Izz el-Deen Al-Qassam said recently that a senior commander was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza. CNBC News reported that the Israel Defense Force has suggested that a ground incursion may not be the next step in their conflict with Hamas.

The Twitter post claims that after this disagreement between Petro and Dagan, the country expelled Dagan. The caption reads, “BREAKING: Colombia expels Israel’s ambassador over the war.”

This claim is inaccurate. Credible news reports indicate that Israel’s ambassador Dagan criticized Petro’s comparison of Israel’s attack on Gaza to Nazi’s treatment of Jews. After Israel’s ambassador disagreed with the comparison, Colombian Foreign Minister Alvaro Leyva said Dagan should apologize and leave the country.

However, Leyva took to Twitter to clarify that the Dagan was not expelled from the country. He said, “Understand. I have not said that the Israeli ambassador is expelled.” (RELATED: Video Claiming To Show An Airstrike In Israel Is Actually Footage From Video Game)

Israel has stopped security exports to Colombia over their criticism of Israel’s attacks in Gaza. The Associated Press reports that Petro has responded by suggesting that Colombia should suspend diplomatic relations with Israel.

This is not the first piece of misinformation surrounding the Israeli-Hamas conflict that has been shared online. Check Your Fact debunked a claim that The U.S. Military arrested a Jihadist infiltrator.

Joseph Casieri

Fact Check Reporter

Trending