Gustavo Petro Urrego
President of the Republic of Colombia
Bogotá, August 2025
Dear friends of the Global Solidarity Flotilla,
From Colombia, a land of resistance and hope, I send a heartfelt message of solidarity and embrace to all of you who are preparing to set sail for Gaza from different corners of the world.
I have carefully read the letter you sent me, and I want you to know that every word you wrote resonates with the living history of our peoples. You are a living testimony of humanity that stands tall even in the face of barbarism: dignity never loses, even when attempts are made to suffocate it with walls, blockades, and silence.
I have said it before, and I repeat it today: if Palestine dies, all of humanity dies. That is why every act that resists extermination, every voice that challenges indifference, is a declaration of life. What you are undertaking is not just a sea voyage; it is a moral outcry, proof that solidarity can cross oceans even when borders are closed.
I know this is not easy. I see that your decision to embark on this flotilla is neither romanticism nor adventure; it is born of deep commitment. In Colombia, we know all too well the cost of pain and war. We know what it is to mourn those who are gone, to live with hunger, to bury hope. And perhaps that is why we understand that silence in the face of genocide is itself a form of complicity.
You have chosen the hardest and most dangerous path: the path of action in the face of oppression. And I tell you: you are not alone. From this shore, from a nation that has also borne the scars of war, we send you courage, we send you words, we send you life.
May the winds carry your ships forward with the force of history, may the sea open its arms to you, and may the world hear your message: Gaza is not alone. Palestine is not alone. Humanity can no longer remain silent.
And when you reach the waters near Gaza, you will feel the voices of millions walking with you—voices that believe peace is not a dream or a fantasy, but a responsibility.
Please, return safely.
With fraternal solidarity,
Gustavo Petro Urrego
President of the Republic of Colombia
