ALBAWABA - As part of his strong opposition to Israel's war in Gaza, President Gustavo Petro of Colombia has ordered that all coal exports to the country be stopped right away. He said that Colombia would not back what he called "genocide."
"As the head of the armed forces, I will not let a single ton of coal be sent to Israel," Petro said at a ceremony in Cartagena where he introduced new naval units of NavadaColombia, such as the Benkos Biohó ship, which will help improve public health along Colombia's coasts.
His words make it clear that the ban on sending coal to Israel, which was announced in response to its military actions in Gaza, will be strictly enforced. Petro stressed Colombia's moral duty and said the country would not be involved in the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian region.
The news came out at the same time that Colombia was celebrating Navy Day and the 202nd anniversary of the naval Battle of Lake Maracaibo.
Earlier this week, Petro said it would change Glencore's mining license on its own if the business kept sending goods to Israel. Since then, Glencore has said that it has already stopped sending any coal to Israel as Petro had asked.
A Glencore representative told Reuters, "The Cerrejón mine is following the president's order." "Our last shipment was almost two weeks ago, before the policy went into effect."
This is one of the biggest open-pit coal export businesses in the world. It is in Colombia's La Guajira area. It has a 150-kilometer railroad and a port in the Caribbean.
Petro said that if Glencore broke the law, he would ask people who live near the mine to stop the plant.
The move by the president of Colombia comes as anger around the world grows over the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Pictures of people going hungry, families being forced to move, and aid sites being bombed have made calls for international responsibility stronger. Petro has spoken out against Israel's military operation and blockade many times, saying that keeping over 2 million people from getting food and medicine is a war crime.
