- Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro banned coal exports to “Israel,” citing its nearly 11-month genocide in Gaza.
- The decision followed a massacre in Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp, where over 200 Palestinians were killed.
The decree, dated August 14 and published on Colombia’s presidential website, will come into effect next week, according to Bloomberg. On Sunday, President Petro announced on his X social media account that:
“Colombia will no longer permit its thermal coal to be used for producing Israeli bombs dropped on Palestinian children.”
As the largest supplier of coal to Israel, Colombia had previously announced in June that it would suspend coal exports to Israel, with shipments to resume only when the genocide in Gaza ends.
President Petro cut diplomatic ties with Israel in May, stating that Colombia cannot maintain relations with what he described as the “genocidal” regime of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. President Petro has repeatedly condemned Israel’s actions during its conflict in the Palestinian territories.
Colombia exported coal worth $450 million to Israel in 2023. In 2020, coal-powered energy constituted 26% of the electricity produced within Israel.
Moreover, Colombia aligned itself with the genocide case against the Zionist entity, initiated by South Africa at the International Court of Justice.
President Petro’s move is seen as an effort to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to end its “genocidal war” on Gaza.
Bolivia, Chile, and Belize have also cut diplomatic ties with Israel due to its ongoing brutal war in Gaza.
