In ordinary times, Israel imports more than half of its coal from Colombia. That coal powers Israel’s electricity grid, keeping the lights on and the factories working.

But these are not ordinary times. Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza. The official Israel Twitter account is paying to advertise a post that shows its murderous intent, claiming “there are no innocents” in Gaza.

Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro, who also sits on the Council of the Progressive International, has been outspoken in his condemnation of Israel’s crimes and cut diplomatic relations. But the coal ships were still leaving his shores and heading across the Atlantic, through the Mediterranean to Israel.

Despite the cost to Colombia’s economy - coal exports to Israel account for over 5 per cent of the country’s total - Colombians do not want to be complicit in the destruction of Gaza. Petro has announced there will be no more coal until Israel complies with international law, including the orders from the International Court of Justice to withdraw Israeli troops from Gaza.

Colombia’s material intervention into the conflict through withdrawing its energy resources strikes a significant blow against the Israeli war machine. Israel’s grid is now scrambling to find alternative sources of energy.

In the context of this increased pressure, the Global Energy Embargo for Palestine, which worked with the Colombian coal workers union and other popular forces in Colombia to campaign for the coal export ban, is calling on other coal exporters, including South Africa, which currently provides 9 per cent of Israel’s coal, to follow Colombia’s lead.

While the US and its European subordinate states continue to fund and fuel Israel’s genocide, states in the Global South and movements around the world can take action to restrict Israel’s war machine.

Latest from the Movement

Power and Prosperity in a Multipolar World

On 20 June 2024, leading scholars, activists, and political representatives from across the world will meet at the University of Campinas in the Brazilian state of São Paulo for a festival of ideas on the future of the international order.

Convened by the Progressive International, Phenomenal World, and Transforma UNICAMP, the festival will invite students and speakers to debate the meaning of power and prosperity in a multipolar world. See the full agenda, list of speakers and how to follow the events here.

CELAC Social

On 27 and 28 June, the Progressive International will return to Honduras for CELAC Social. The events will commemorate 15 years since the coup and celebrate 15 years of resistance and 15 years of solidarity that have now placed Honduras on the path of social progress.

ITF pledges to Palestine solidarity fund

PI member the International Transport Federation has announced a further £50,000 to Palestine Solidarity Fund. The global trade union federation stands firm in it its resolve to support Palestinian workers and its affiliated unions until peace and dignity are restored through self-determination and national liberation for the Palestinian people.

Working in Amazon’s heat

Amazon workers in an Indian warehouse were allegedly made to pledge they would not take any breaks, including to drink water or go to the bathroom, until they met their targets, even as the country reeled under an unprecedented heatwave.

As temperatures soared past 50C, workers at Amazon India’s Manesar warehouse, located in the northern state of Haryana, said they were finding it increasingly difficult to cope with the hazardous working conditions they claim were being ignored by the management.

Article 14 has recorded testimonials from workers, their lawyers and representatives from the Amazon India Workers Association (AIWA). You can watch it here.

Art of the Week: Miguel Guevara is a Bogotá-based artist from Palmira, the agricultural capital of Colombia where his grandfather used to cut sugar cane. Guevara recalls “the rain of ash falling” in his childhood neighbourhood from the now-illegal burning of waste cane – the main source of air pollution in the city.

Guevara’s works speak to the exploitation of workers in the region due to capitalist expansion which dates back to the 17th century. The featured drawing, created using charcoal on handmade sugar cane paper, is titled Quema de cultivo (Crop burning) however other works in the series draw attention to the labour movement, including the strikes at the Riopaila sugar mill in 1976.