Protests Stop Morena Deputies from Joining Mexico-israel Friendship Group

This article by Enrique Méndez and Fernando Camacho originally appeared in the September 30, 2025 edition of La Jornada, Mexico’s premier left wing daily newspaper.

Mexico City. The Morena deputies who were assigned to the Mexico-Israel friendship group decided not to join, and protests against the group also prevented its installation and the visit of officials from that country to the Chamber of Deputies.

Representative Petra Romero Gómez reported that she had made “the firm decision not to accept this assignment and to request my immediate resignation. The reason is simple and profoundly ethical: I could never be part of a group that, in my opinion, represents support for a state internationally accused of committing serious human rights violations against the Palestinian people.”

She recalled that organizations such as Amnesty International have documented Israel’s military practices, “which constitute war crimes and apartheid against Palestine.”

Morena legislators exclaimed in the plenary hall: “Long live free Palestine!” Photo: María Luisa Severiano

The legislator made a statement to the media during Tuesday’s regular session, and later, a group of Morena deputies shouted in the plenary hall: “Long live free Palestine!”

Romero Gómez even said that she has requested to join friendship groups with nations with which she affirmed she shares principles of sovereignty and cooperation, such as Russia and Bolivia, “countries with which Mexico maintains ties of respect and collaboration.”

She also noted that the Mexico-Israel friendship group has not been formally established in this Legislature due to the lack of sufficient members to meet a quorum, “which reflects that many deputies are not willing to legitimize policies of aggression and extermination.”

In fact, the president of the friendship group and former governor of Zacatecas, Miguel Alonso Reyes (PRI), had scheduled the installation for yesterday, Monday, but ultimately decided to cancel in the face of protests.

Meanwhile, Petra Romero reiterated her support for the demand for a free Palestine and expressed her “absolute rejection of any initiative that seeks to normalize the genocide against that people.”

She also noted that Mexico has always been and must continue to be a country that defends peace, the self-determination of peoples, and unrestricted respect for human rights.