Colombia halts coal exports to Israel in protest against war in Gaza

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

58% : Coal exports to Israel were worth $320mn in the first eight months of last year, according to government data, while Colombia's leading mining agency reports that taxes, royalties and other payments related to coal exports to Israel are worth around $165mn per year to the treasury.
53% : Petro has also sought to position Colombia as a global leader on climate change, pledging to wean the country off fossil fuels despite oil and coal products together making up over half of exports.
40% : "We are going to suspend coal exports to Israel until the genocide stops," president Gustavo Petro posted on X.Petro shared a draft decree issued by the ministry of trade which stated that exports will only be resumed once Israel complies with orders from the International Court of Justice last month to halt its military offensive in Rafah.
40% : Speaking at a banking conference on Friday night, Petro said that the court's decision was the reason for a recent shortfall in government tax take, necessitating spending cuts.Sergio Guzmán, director of Bogotá-based consultancy Colombia Risk Analysis, said that the decision to suspend coal exports to Israel was "shortsighted" as the global market for the fossil fuel continues to dwindle amid a transition to greener energy sources.
38% : Colombia's mining association ACM warned on Thursday that suspending coal exports to Israel would hurt Colombia's economy.

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