Colombia has officially halted coal exports to Israel over Tel Aviv's use of the material in weapons used to attack Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, President Gustavo Petro said Sunday.
"Colombian coal is used to make bombs to kill Palestinian children," Petro said on X, justifying the decision in response to Israel’s ongoing attacks on Gaza.
The decree, signed by President Petro along with the ministers of foreign affairs, finance, mines, and trade, will come into effect five days after its publication in the official gazette.
Colombia, which exports 5% of its total coal production to Israel, has also suspended diplomatic relations with the country, as announced in May, due to Israel's onslaught in Gaza.
Petro, broke diplomatic ties with Israel, saying that he could not maintain relations with the "genocidal” government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Both governments have continued to keep consulates in each other's territories and conduct trade.
Colombia has long depended on Israel for military hardware that includes assault rifles and intelligence equipment. The South American nation has also bought more than 30 fighter jets from Israel over the past three decades and depends on Israeli companies for their maintenance.
New military purchases have been halted, however, as relations between both countries deteriorate. Critics of Petro have said that the president’s decision to cut ties with Israel jeopardizes Colombia’s security capabilities as its military fights drug cartels and rebel groups in rural parts of the country.
