"'Netanyahu launches missiles against children' - Petro urges Trump to distance himself from Israeli PM because 'he leads him and humanity to abyss' Colombian President Gustavo Petro urged US President Donald Trump to separate himself from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday, accusing the Israeli leader of leading humanity to 'an abyss'. Speaking at the funeral of Reverend Jesse Jackson in Chicago, a leader in the US civil rights movement, Petro criticised Netanyahu's role in the current Iran conflict and drew parallels to the rise of fascism in 1930s Europe. "Separating from Netanyahu is necessary. Separating from the one who launches missiles against boys and girls on planet Earth. Separating from the missiles and speaking about a pact for life. A pact for peace," the Colombian leader proclaimed amid Middle East tensions. Petro compared the current global moment to "what was lived in Europe in the year 1933," referencing the year Hitler rose to power in Germany. "That year Hitler, without having the electoral majority, rose to power in Berlin, Germany." "It was January 3, we had just begun and celebrated this new year. And missiles were falling in Caracas. [...] And a missile in the Caribbean, which is the sea of freedom, cannot be. It is a warning that we are living at the beginning of the times of barbarism. And we even came to think that a missile was going to fall on us, on me," he persisted. During his visit, the president is expected to meet with local authorities and political leaders, including Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker. After Chicago, Petro will travel to Vienna to participate in the 69th session of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs from March 9-13. "