Over 20 Countries, Including Bangladesh, to Hold Emergency Summit in Colombia to Take ‘Concrete Steps’ Against Israel

An emergency summit will be held next week in Colombia to protest Israel’s violations of international law, with over 20 countries, including Spain, Ireland, Portugal, Turkey, China, Qatar, and Bangladesh, participating. The summit, deemed highly significant given the timing, is expected to announce “concrete steps” against Israel, according to diplomatic sources cited by Middle East Eye.

The summit will take place in Bogotá, the capital of Colombia, on July 15-16, co-hosted by Colombia and South Africa as joint chairs of The Hague Group. Formed earlier this year, The Hague Group aims to counter the “culture of impunity” surrounding international crimes committed by Israel and supported by its powerful allies through legal and diplomatic measures.

The Hague Group was established on January 31 this year in The Hague, Netherlands, with eight founding member countries: Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba, Honduras, Malaysia, Namibia, Senegal, and South Africa. The group’s stated goal is to hold Israel accountable under international law. South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Roland Lamola, told Middle East Eye that the formation of The Hague Group in January was a “turning point” and a strong response to the global culture of privilege and disregard for international law. He added that the Bogotá summit would send a clear message that no country is above the law and that all crimes must be held accountable. “We will collectively work on specific legal, diplomatic, and economic measures to swiftly end the destruction of Palestinians at the hands of Israel,” Lamola said. Since October 2023, Israel’s actions in Gaza have resulted in over 57,000 Palestinian deaths, with an increasing number of experts and countries condemning the violence as genocide. Nearly the entire population of the besieged Gaza Strip, approximately 2.1 million people, has been displaced, many multiple times, amid severe shortages of food, fuel, medical supplies, and other essentials. Colombia’s Deputy Minister for Multilateral Affairs, Mauricio Jaramillo Jassir, told Middle East Eye that the genocide against Palestinians threatens the entire multilateral system. “Colombia cannot remain indifferent to this event of racism and ethnic cleansing,” he said, adding that the countries attending the Bogotá summit will not only reaffirm their commitment to resisting genocide but also take specific steps toward a collective action plan. Countries confirmed to send representatives include Algeria, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, China, Cuba, Djibouti, Honduras, Indonesia, Ireland, Lebanon, Malaysia, Namibia, Nicaragua, Oman, Portugal, Spain, Qatar, Turkey, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Uruguay, and Palestine. Several high-level UN representatives will also attend, including Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on Palestine; Philippe Lazzarini, head of UNRWA; Tlaleng Mofokeng, UN Special Rapporteur on health rights; Laura Nyirinkindi, Chair of the UN Working Group on Discrimination Against Women; and Andrés Macías Tolosa, UN expert on mercenaries and armed groups. In recent months, The Hague Group members have taken significant steps to uphold international law. For instance, South Africa filed a historic case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, alleging violations of the Genocide Convention in Gaza. Other members, including Bolivia, Colombia, and Namibia, have joined the case, strengthening its global impact. Additionally, Namibia and Malaysia have barred ships carrying weapons for Israel from docking at their ports, while Colombia has severed diplomatic ties with Israel.

While each member country has taken individual actions against Israel, The Hague Group and its supporters now plan to pursue coordinated measures. The group’s coordinator, Varsha Gandikota-Nellutla, stated that the group was formed in response to states’ failures to comply with binding international law decisions. She highlighted Western bias, noting that in November 2024, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, which some Western countries, including the United States, criticized. Israel has also defied multiple ICJ orders, including those mandating clear steps to prevent violations of the Genocide Convention in Gaza.