Colombian President Gustavo Petro insisted that none of his country’s coal would be allowed to reach Israel, days after Colombian Labor Minister Antonio Sanguino confirmed that he had been alerted to a possible coal shipment, which would violate a presidential ban on exports to the Jewish state.
“We have received a very sensitive complaint from workers in the coal sector in Riohacha, within the framework of the immediate response plan we have launched to address the complaints of workers and unions in the sector,” Sanguino wrote on X/Twitter. “The alert is about the departure of a ship (Fortune) with coal from Puerto Nuevo (Ciénaga - Magdalena) bound for Hadera, Israel, today, July 24, at 7:47 a.m.
“Information that we will evaluate and verify. We will immediately communicate this situation to @MincomercioCo and the President of the Republic @petrogustavo, to assess what decisions are appropriate in light of the violation of the decree prohibiting the export and sale of coal to Israel, responsible for the genocide in Gaza.”
Petro complained that the shipment was a “challenge” to his government and shared the Navy had been instructed to halt the shipment.
The president, with a long history of statements against the Jewish state, told crowds, "Not a ton of coal leaves for Israel, and I assume the responsibility", and Colombia would “not be complicit in genocide.”
Petro also warned Glencore last week that he would alter the company’s concession contract if the mining giant continued to export coal to Israel.
The company denied continuing shipments to Israel after the presidential decree came into effect.
"Cerrejon has acted in accordance with the decree issued by President Petro. In fact, our last shipment of coal was some two weeks before the decree came into effect," the company told Reuters.
Accusations and alleged infiltrations
Petro also accused his former trade minister, Luis Carlos Reyes, of not complying with the ban and called on "the Swiss people to block Glencore," according to Colombia media site El Espectador.
"They're transporting Colombian coal by ship and making the pumps, when the president decreed otherwise. In other words, is the president of Colombia a powerless shell? Is he a puppet? Does the power lie elsewhere? The previous minister deceived me," he accused.
In response, Reyes wrote on X that the presidential decree was rendered ineffectual by a clause added by Petro, which the president justified at the time by claiming the Mossad had infiltrated the country’s leadership and the decree wouldn’t pass without the amendment.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro characterizes war in Gaza as a genocide
Throughout the war in Gaza, Petro has become increasingly critical of Israel.
He wrote a social media post characterizing the war in Gaza as a genocide, comparing Israel to Nazi Germany. “It would seem as if (chief Nazi propagandist Joseph) Goebbels is the one who directs the world’s communications so that tens of thousands of journalists are silenced in the face of their murdered colleagues and 20,000 babies torn to pieces by bombs,” Petro wrote.
Daphne Klajman, a frequently published expert on global antisemitism and policy and the academic coordinator of Hillel Rio, based in Rio de Janeiro, told The Media Line that Petro frequently took antisemitic stereotypes and accusations and adjusted the targeted population to "Zionists."
“He claims that before 1948 there was peace in that region, but this is also obviously wrong and also fails to address the strong bonds between the Nazis and Muslim leaders before 1948,” she said.
Colombia has also sought to join South Africa's ICJ case against Israel under Petro's leadership.
Reuters and Nathan Klabin contributed to this report.