Colombian President Gustavo Petro has signed a decree banning coal exports to Israel in protest against the ongoing war that Tel Aviv has been waging in Gaza for more than 10 months, American media reports.
Commenting on the decision, Colombian President Gustavo Petro said: "They are making bombs from Colombian coal to kill Palestinian children." He had previously said that the country "will stop exporting coal to Israel until the genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza ends."
Colombia is considered the largest supplier of coal to Israel, which receives more than half of its coal imports from that country. The value of Colombian coal exports to Israel is estimated at about $450 million. Tel Aviv uses coal to generate 20% of its electricity, according to the American Journal of Transportation.
On May 1, Colombia's president announced that his country would sever diplomatic relations with Israel, citing "the existence of a government and a president (in Israel) that practice genocide," and warning that "if Palestine dies, humanity dies."
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