Latin American History Month: Colombian Resistance Against Zionism and Imperialism

By John Guggenbiller

This year’s Latino History Month has put a different perspective on how I view being a Latino American in Ohio and the United States. I am proud to be Colombian. I am proud to be an anti-zionist. I am proud to be anti-imperialist. I am proud of the incredible Latinos that have fought, struggled, and resisted to secure their freedoms in the Americas.

The oppression of Latin American people is the same as the oppression of Palestinians from Israel, the United States and other zionist aligned governments. To understand Palestinian resistance is an act of solidarity and not an irrelevant burden on the people of Colombia and the Americas. As the ongoing genocide continues for another year, there are detractors and zionists, whether in politics, tech billionaires, or media influencers that say that the Palestinan resistance should not matter in the Americas. That Palestinian resistance in the Levant against US imperialism has no implications. Why should the Blackbelt South care about Palestine when they are getting lynched in Mississippi? Why should Bolivian trade unionists care about Palestine when they are being suppressed by their own government? And why should Colombians care about Palestine when they are in the midst of recovering from the worst earthquake they’ve experienced in the 21st century? What Zionists do not want you to know is that Palestinian Liberation is intrinsic to all liberation movements in the Americas (especially Latin America) because of its direct roots to US imperialism and from what we have seen in Colombia, everyday people have a passionate response to the counties own Zionist and Imperialist takeover and show resistance just like Palestine.

Colombia’s foreign policy has done a complete 180 since voting in Abelardo de la Espriella. While the previous president Gustavo Petro made sweeping movements to support Palestine such as helping found The Hague Group (an international group that “coordinated legal and diplomatic measures” against Israel’s violations of international law), cut diplomatic ties to Israel in 2024, and ended all arms deal purchases from Israel in 2024. Since Abelardo de la Espriella (aka ADLE) took office in August, he has brought back all of these connections including opening the Colombian embassy in occupied Jerusalem. During a speech at the Beth El synagogue in Barranquilla, ADLE stated “I will never stop defending Israel because it is the people of God, and I will always stand with Israel”. ADLE has also had the time to address that Israel has sovereignty over Golan Heights instead of Syria. Finally, ADLE has cut back peace talks with various paramilitary groups such as FARC and EML (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and National Liberation Army). Instead of dialogue ADLE has now twice paraded corpses in white bags (a total of 27 bodies) as an intimidation tactic against “narco-terrorism” which is ironic because as an attorney ADLE has connections to Colombia’s right-wing paramilitary group United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC).

Despite all of this, the people of Colombia resist the increase of US and Israel presence. Espriella won the election only by 1 percent (about 250,000 votes) but in Cali Colombia, the third largest city, has become a hub for anti-zonist resistance. Cali has already been known for its resistance to authority with President Iván Duque’s protester crackdowns during Cali’s National Workers Strike in 2021. Now in 2026, after Colombia’s biggest earthquake in the 21st century, Espriella has rather tried to increase Israeli relations than help the people he’s obligated to help in Cali and especially in afro-colombian cities of the Pacific coast such as Buenaventura and Quibdo. In addition, Espriella only allowed Israel, the United States, El Salvador, and other pro-Israel countries to help in the crucial hour of relief aid for finding civilians in the rubble and did not allow elite rescue teams from Mexico or doctors from Cuba. As a whole Colombians have protested in the past against Elbit because in the past Colombia has been a big supporter of Israel (in 2013 Colombia purchased Hermes 450 and Hermes 900 drones and people still protest Elbit in the region). In Cali, the BDS movement (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) has increased the grassroots movement in the wake of the earthquake with art, childcare, free food for earthquake relief volunteers, and volunteering for earthquake help in general. The BDS movement has also held city wide protests and even had a hand in makeshift shelters for people that lost their homes.

In Palestine, the term “sumoud” comes from a culture of steadfastness. To be brave against the odds and to be proud of where you come from. I see this correlation with the Global South and Latin America. This Latin American History Month lets us be proud of who we are and where we came from. Let us all be advocates for Palestine and Latin American liberation and understand that it’s not an irrelevant burden but a necessary one to help one another across the world.