Parks Tau Says WTO Bars South Africa From Ending Coal Exports to Israel

South Africa’s Department of Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Parks Tau said South Africa’s membership of the World Trade Organisation prevents it from terminating all coal exports to Israel, adding that South Africa exported 1.8-million tons of coal to Israel in 2025.

“The Colombian capital has, since this morning and until tomorrow evening, been the theater of a new political and economic offensive against the State of Israel”

Causeur

Tau told the EFF’s Carl Niehaus that there are continuous discussions on these matters to ensure alignment in government, but that “there is no position to review SA exports to Israel”.

Causeur

IOL also quoted Mothers4Gaza founder Ayesha Bagus saying, “The question is how South Africa interprets its own legal discretion when faced with mounting evidence of grave breaches of international law and the risk of serious harm to civilians.”

Bagus argued that WTO rules contain exceptions, including those relating to national security and public morals, while also pointing to obligations under international law including the Genocide Convention and customary international law.

In Bogotá, Colombia, a conference co-chaired by Colombia and South Africa brought together representatives from about thirty states to “turn words into deeds on the Gaza dossier” and to put an end to impunity, with a final declaration endorsed by 12 of the 30 participants.

Le Monde.fr said the final declaration calls for taking diplomatic, legal, and economic measures against the State of Israel to “break the links of complicity with its campaign of devastation in Palestine.”

Chronique de Palestine

Chronique de Palestine reported that representatives from Bolivia, Cuba, Indonesia, Iraq, Libya, Malaysia, Namibia, Nicaragua, Oman, and South Africa announced sanctions to halt the trafficking of weapons that facilitate genocide and war crimes in Gaza.

Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur, told Mondoweiss at a press conference in Bogotá that “The global majority [also known as the Global South] has been the driver of actions against Israeli genocide, with South Africa and Colombia playing a key role in this process.”

Energies Media reported that South African coal exports to Israel rose 20% to reach 667,442 metric tons in the three months to October, described as the highest three-month total since February 2017.

“Despite criticism of Israel, the South African coal exports to the Middle East country rose 20% to reach 667,442 metric tons in the three months to October, the highest three-month total since February 2017”

Energies Media

The outlet said Commerce Minister Parks Tau told that sanctions against Israel would expose the country to a WTO dispute settlement under World Trade Organization rules, while also noting that Colombia was not challenged after implementing a ban.

Mondoweiss said a coal ship left South Africa’s Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBCT) for the Hadera port in northern Israel shortly after the South African government acknowledged Israel’s response in the ICJ genocide case.

Mondoweiss quoted human rights lawyer Sirhaan Che Khan saying, “We never actually sought to pursue legal action. [Since] July 2024, the SA BDS Coalition wrote to various ministers requesting engagement on these issues and was ignored.”