Colombia: president calls on ship’s crews not to transport coal to Israel

Colombian President Gustavo Petro has called on all ship’s crews not to transport coal to Israel, after issuing a decree this week to stop coal exports to the occupation state, which continues to attack Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Petro attacked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a post on X, saying, “May all the sailors of the world, may our indigenous peoples refuse to bring coal from any country to Netanyahu.”

In response to critics of the decision to suspend coal exports to Israel, Petro said, “Palestinian children and humanity are grateful. What is happening is that those who remained silent in Colombia against the genocide do not understand it.”

Some politicians in Colombia criticised the decision to stop exporting coal to Israel. Pablo Felipe Robledo, former Inspector of Industry and Trade and former Deputy Minister of Justice, told the media that stopping coal exports to Israel is contrary to free economic competition and is against the law.

In an unprecedented rejection of the war waged by Israel on the Gaza Strip since 7 October, the Colombian president said that, “Colombian coal is used to make bombs to kill Palestinian children.”

Petro severed diplomatic relations with Israel in May, accusing the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of committing genocide against the Palestinians. He also stopped purchasing Israeli-made weapons. Predictably, Netanyahu accused him of being anti-Semitic and a supporter of Hamas.

According to reports, Israel relies on coal to generate 20 per cent of its electricity. Colombia has been the largest supplier of coal to Israel, accounting for more than half of its imports. The value of these exports to Colombia was estimated at about $450 million last year, according to Bloomberg.

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