Colombia to suspend coal exports to Israel: president

BOGOTA - Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced Saturday on his social media account that his country will suspend coal export to Israel due to its attacks on the Gaza Strip, which he again called a "genocide".

The draft decree shared by Petro will be published by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism on its website between June 11 and 17 for comments before entering into force.

Official data show that Colombia exported 447 million US dollars of coal to Israel in 2023, a 57 percent drop from 2022, while in the first four months of 2024, 88 million dollars of coal was exported to Israel.

Since the outbreak of a new round of conflict between Israel and Palestine on Oct 7, 2023, relations between Colombia and Israel have grown 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 Colombia's severance of diplomatic relations with Israel.