Colombia has withdrawn its participation in South Africa’s genocide case against Israel, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) said Tuesday.

In a statement, the court in The Hague said that Colombia’s government “decided to withdraw the Declaration of intervention that it had filed… on 5 April 2024 in the case concerning Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip.”

The decision of the administration of President Abelardo De la Espriella is part of a wider attempt to restore ties with Israel and its main sponsor, the United States, and appease its Evangelical Christian support base.

In response to the ongoing genocide in Palestine, former President Gustavo Petro took a leading role in diplomatic efforts that sought to isolate Israel and seek justice for Israel’s victims through the world court.

In a response, the US Government put Petro on a blacklist and actively campaigned for the election of De la Espriella to prevent another leftist victory in elections earlier this year.

The new president, who took office in August, immediately restored diplomatic ties to Israel and lifted a ban on coal exports to the country in West Asia.