ALWAGHT- Colombian President Gustavo Petro has issued a decree suspending coal exports to Israel, citing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza caused by Israel’s continued genocidal military actions.
This action represents a notable change in the relationship between Colombia and the Israeli regime, which had been strong trade partners.
In 2023, Colombia, the largest supplier of fossil fuels to Israeli-occupied territories, reported coal trade valued at $450 million. Despite objections from the Colombian Miners Association and coal producers, President Petro proceeded with the decree, initially proposed in June, amid concerns over the trade agreement between Bogotá and Tel Aviv.
The decree, published on the presidential website on Sunday, highlights "the seriousness of the humanitarian situation in Palestine following the military operation by Israel after October 7, 2023."
Petro’s administration referenced a United Nations report detailing the Gaza crisis, which stated that "32,333 Palestinians had died, including 9,000 women and 13,000 children, with 1.1 million facing food insecurity and 1.7 million displaced."
The export ban will come into effect five days after its publication and will remain in place "until the provisional measures ordered by the International Court of Justice in the case concerning the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v. Israel) are fully implemented."
Petro announced the decree on his official X account, asserting, “Colombian coal is used to manufacture bombs that kill Palestinian children.”
Colombia, previously one of Israel’s closest allies in Latin America, has seen its relationship deteriorate significantly since the onset of the Gaza conflict. Tensions rose sharply when President Petro condemned Israel’s actions as “genocide” and compared its military to the Nazis—a comparison Israel condemned as antisemitic. In retaliation, Israel halted security exports to Colombia, leading the Colombian government to cut diplomatic ties.
The conflict has resulted in at least 40,099 deaths and 92,609 injuries in Gaza.
