BOGOTÁ, Colombia — In a dramatic escalation of diplomatic retaliation against Israel’s genocide in Gaza, Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Friday ordered his country’s Navy to intercept and block any shipments of coal destined for Israel, despite ongoing exports by multinational companies under previous contracts.
The directive—announced by Petro in his role as Commander-in-Chief—marks the most forceful effort yet by Colombia to enforce a coal embargo first declared nearly a year ago. Speaking at a CELAC energy forum in Bogotá, Petro threatened to unilaterally alter the concession contract of Swiss mining giant Glencore, operator of the Cerrejón mine, if shipments to Israel continued. The president also signaled potential grassroots action, stating that local communities could be mobilized to blockade railways and ports if legal remedies fell short.
The order comes in response to what Petro described as Israel’s “genocidal campaign” in Gaza, which he argues is being materially supported by Colombian coal. “Not a single ton of coal should leave Colombia for Israel,” he said on Friday, vowing to put an end to what he called the hypocrisy of condemning violence while profiting from it.
Multinational exporters, including Glencore and Drummond, contend they are adhering to existing legal contracts signed before the August 2024 embargo. While Glencore has stated it ceased all shipments to Israel “two weeks” prior to the announcement, internal export data and port records suggest that more than 1.2 million tonnes of coal—worth approximately $100 million—have been shipped to Israel since the ban was introduced, largely due to contractual loopholes and regulatory inaction.
Trade union leaders and energy watchdog groups have confirmed discrepancies in government oversight. They claim 905,666 tonnes of coal have left Colombian ports bound for Israel since the decree, raising questions about internal compliance. Some mining representatives argue that Petro’s public posture is a political maneuver detached from the operational realities of global energy contracts.
Petro’s critics—including former Trade Minister Luis Carlos Reyes—have accused the president of stoking nationalist sentiment while targeting multinational firms with vague legal threats. The president, however, insists that the continued exports undermine Colombia’s international credibility and violate the spirit of his administration’s moral and diplomatic stance against Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
This conflict between economic interests and geopolitical ethics underscores the fragility of Colombia’s position as both a commodity exporter and a rising voice in the Global South’s pushback against Western-aligned military campaigns. The severing of diplomatic ties with Israel in May 2024 marked a turning point in Colombia’s foreign policy under Petro—an increasingly vocal opponent of Tel Aviv and Washington’s role in the Gaza genocide.
The latest order by Petro is not merely symbolic. By tasking Colombia’s Navy with enforcing the embargo, the government is venturing into a realm of economic warfare that could reshape its relationships with global mining corporations and foreign allies alike.
As noted by Mehr News, the embargo has exposed sharp divisions within Colombia’s political and business establishments. The report highlights mounting legal and constitutional challenges over President Petro’s authority to unilaterally modify concession contracts and redirect national trade policy amid ongoing geopolitical crises.
According to El País, despite Petro’s 2024 decree, exporters like Glencore and Drummond continued shipping coal to Israel under preexisting contracts. The investigation underscores how bureaucratic inertia and corporate defiance allowed nearly a million tonnes of coal to leave Colombian ports bound for Israel—fueling Israel’s campaign in Gaza.
Further reporting by Reuters confirms the government’s growing frustration with multinational mining giants. Petro’s administration is now threatening to revise Glencore’s Cerrejón contract and has signaled naval enforcement to ensure compliance, marking a dramatic escalation in Colombia’s stance against Israel’s actions in Gaza.
