Colombia’s Petro signs decree halting coal exports to Israel over war on Gaza

Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro signed a degree banning all coal exports to Israel to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government into putting an end to the war on Gaza.

The decree was published on the presidential website dated 14 August and comes as the Gaza death toll has surpassed 40,000.

Colombia is one of the biggest fossil fuel suppliers to Israel, with Petro taking to social media on Sunday to clarify that he will no longer allow for thermal coal to be used for making Israeli bombs dropped on Palestinians.

"Who said it is unconstitutional to stop exporting coal to Israel when Netanyahu has been prosecuted for crimes against humanity?" he wrote, likely referring to the International Criminal Court's current deliberation on whether to issue an arrest warrant against the Israeli leader.

"Since when does our constitution allow the export of products that help a genocidal maniac kill tens of thousands of children…does it seem so abnormal to you that in Colombia a progressive president refuses to trade with genociders?" he continued.

According to Bloomberg, the Colombian Miners Association has warned that due to the free trade agreement between the two nations, Colombia can’t stop coal exports to Israel and companies that produce it may consider taking action.

In May, Petro announced Colombia would be severing its diplomatic relations with Israel, describing Netanyahu as "genocidal".

He has continued to criticise Israel for its assault on Gaza, which has levelled entire neighbourhoods and destroyed the enclave's infrastructure.

Petro told crowds at a May Day rally that the world could not accept "the extermination of an entire people", adding that "if Palestine dies, humanity dies".

He announced that his country would be suspending coal exports to Israel in June, as the relationship between the two countries soured.

Taking to X at the time, he said the coal exports would only resume “when the genocide in Gaza stops". He also posted a draft decree which said coal exports would resume only if Israel adhered to orders by the International Court of Justice, which said Israel must immediately stop the military assault in Rafah.

He clarified that the ban would not affect goods that had already been authorised for shipment.

Coal exports to Israel were worth more than $320 million in the first eight months of last year, according to Colombia’s National Statistics Department.

Israel also imports over 50 percent of its coal from Colombia, the American Journal for Transportation states.

Since the war on Gaza started, Colombia has not made any new military purchases from Israel.

Previously, Colombia relied on Israel for military hardware, including intelligence equipment and fighter jets.

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 40,099 Palestinians since October and wounded an additional 92,609 in the same time frame. The bombardment has plunged Gaza into a deep humanitarian crisis and had a devastating impact on over a million displaced Palestinians.