Colombia Implements Coal Export Ban to Israel Amidst Outcry Over Genocidal Conflict

According to SAEDNEWS, In a powerful statement on Sunday, Colombian President Gustavo Petro declared, "Colombian coal is used to manufacture bombs that kill Palestinian children," as he announced a significant policy change concerning exports to Israel. Following this declaration, a decree prohibiting the "exports to…Israel of thermal coal" was signed by multiple ministers, including Chancellor Luis Gilberto Murillo, and is set to take effect next week.

With Brazil previously being one of Israel’s largest suppliers of coal, this move represents a considerable shift in Colombia’s trade relations. According to Bloomberg, the decree was published on the presidential website and is dated August 14.

In addition to halting coal exports, President Petro had previously severed diplomatic ties with Israel and suspended arms purchases from the country earlier this year. This decision was a response to escalating violence, particularly after Israeli forces targeted a crowd of Palestinians awaiting humanitarian aid south of Gaza City, resulting in at least 112 deaths and over 760 injuries.

Colombia has also joined South Africa in bringing a genocide case against Israel before the International Court of Justice. In light of these developments, the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas expressed its gratitude towards President Petro for reaffirming Colombia's decision to end coal exports to Israel. “We express our gratitude for the brave stance of the Republic of Colombia in ending diplomatic relations with the Zionist entity, in condemnation of the genocide that the Zionist occupation is committing against our people in the Gaza Strip,” Hamas stated in a press release on Sunday night.

Hamas further called upon other nations to sever ties with Israel and advocate for boycotts, isolation, and the prosecution of Israeli leaders as war criminals in international courts.

The Colombian government's decree specifies that the ban on coal exports will come into force five days following its publication in the official gazette. Earlier in May, President Petro had announced the country's decision to cut diplomatic relations with Israel due to concerns over the ongoing conflict. "And we here in front of you, the government of change, the president of the republic informs that tomorrow diplomatic relations” with the Israeli regime “will be cut," Murillo added, referring specifically to Israel’s leadership as having “a genocidal president.”

As the humanitarian crisis in Gaza escalates, the Palestinian Red Cross has warned that Israel is creating an unprecedented disaster. The death toll from more than ten months of conflict has already surpassed 40,000, with over 92,000 others injured, while the Palestinian population continues to face dire shortages of food, medical supplies, and basic necessities.