Colombia plans to halt coal shipments to Israel due to the conflict in Gaza, citing concerns of a “genocide
Colombian President Gustavo Petro said on Saturday that his country will suspend coal exports to Israel due to its attack on the Gaza Strip, and reports indicate that the South American country is the largest supplier of coal to Israel.
The president severed diplomatic relations with Israel in May and strongly criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Petro said in a post on the social media platform “X” that exports would be suspended “until the genocide stops.”
Israel denies accusations that its war violates the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, the first human rights treaty adopted by the UN General Assembly.
The measure announced by Petro will take effect within five days, according to a Colombian government decree that stipulates that Israel uses coal as an energy source to make weapons and other military equipment.
“Colombia believes that military operations against the Palestinian people constitute a violation of an established rule of international law,” the decree stated. According to the American Journal of Transportation, Colombia is the largest coal supplier to Israel, accounting for more than half of imports.
Colombia is responsible for 56% of total coal exports to Israel, and last year, $450 million worth of coal was exported to Israel. Coal is used in only about 18% of Israel’s total electricity production, but when natural gas supplies are affected in times of emergency, coal use may increase.
Israel has had sufficient coal reserves for a long time, and other sources are available to purchase coal. However, the supply of low-sulfur coal in the world is not ample, which means that even if alternative sources of coal are found, they may contain a high sulfur content, leading to high pollutant emissions at the two power plants in Israel that are still in use—coal for electricity generation.
In the past, Russia was Israel’s main supplier of coal, but the transition to Colombia as a major supplier was made against the backdrop of sanctions imposed on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Coal from Colombia is considered more polluting than Russian coal, and the electricity company requested a special permit from the Ministry of Environmental Protection When I started using it.
Israel will now have to look for alternative sources of coal to meet its needs, especially low-sulfur coal, to reduce environmental pollution. This decision may affect energy supplies in times of emergency but also highlights international tensions and the economic and political impacts of the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
