Colombia stops coal exports to Israel

Bogota: Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced via his social media account that his country would stop exporting coal to Israel due to the attacks on the Gaza Strip, which he again described as “genocide.”

The draft decree submitted by Petro on Saturday will be published by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism on its website for comment between June 11 and 17 before it comes into force, Xinhua news agency reported.

According to official data, Colombia exported $447 million worth of coal to Israel in 2023, a 57 percent decrease from 2022. In the first four months of 2024, $88 million worth of coal was exported to Israel.

Since the outbreak of a new round of conflict between Israel and Palestine on October 7, 2023, relations between Colombia and Israel have become more tense.

Petro repeatedly criticized Israel and called on other Latin American countries to join Colombia in condemning Israel.

In a speech on May 1, Petro announced the severance of diplomatic relations between Colombia and Israel.