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Highlights
id741002411
On June 8, Colombian president Gustavo Petro announced that his country will suspend coal exports to Israel until the genocide stops. Colombian coal accounted for more than 60 percent of all coal supplied to Israel in 2023, and the Israeli power grid depends on coal for 22 percent of its output. The same grid supplies electricity to Israel’s illegal settlements and arms factories as well as infrastructure used by the Israeli military in perpetrating genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
id741002510
Only a few weeks into the genocide, the largest Colombian mine workers’ union, Sintracarbón, responded to a call for solidarity from the Palestinian trade union movement, issuing a statement demanding the halting of Colombian coal exports to Israel. In raising this demand, the miners also highlighted Israel’s nefarious role in training paramilitaries and mercenaries responsible for widespread atrocities in Colombia
id741002618
In their mobilizations, indigenous leaders drew parallels between their people’s struggles and the cause of Palestine, combining calls on Petro to cut trade ties with Israel with demands to hold mining companies responsible for their human rights violations in Colombia, as well as for enabling Israel’s genocide. Petro’s announcement came after a transnational global day of action against Glencore for their human rights abuses on May 28, where Palestinian organizations wrote directly to the president with their demand that he end coal exports. This mobilization brought about the monumental decision to suspend Colombian coal exports to Israel. It demonstrates how mobilizations across borders, with clear demands and through shared principles and values, can weave together an effective campaign that challenges global powers, imperialism, and colonialism.
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