Colombia will suspend coal exports to Israel over war in Gaza

MANUEL RUEDA

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombian President Gustavo Petro says his country will suspend coal exports to Israel over the war in Gaza. Relations have soured between two countries which were once close military and commercial allies. Petro wrote on social media platform X that coal exports will only resume “when the genocide” in Gaza stops. Petro also posted a draft decree which says that coal exports will only resume if Israel complies with a recent order by the International Court of Justice that says Israel should withdraw its troops from the Gaza strip. Israel imports more than 50% of its coal from Colombia, according to the American Journal for Transportation, and uses much of it to feed its power plants.