Countries shipping fuel to Israel could be complicit in war crimes, experts say

Legal experts have warned that countries responsible for oil and fuel shipments to Israel could be complicit in war crimes it has committed in Gaza.

New research commissioned by the non-profit Oil Change International (OCI) has revealed “continued and expanded oil supply fuelling Israel’s ongoing genocide,” with a growing number of countries that are signatories to the Genocide Convention and Geneva Conventions responsible for shipments of crude and refined petroleum products since October.

Israel relies heavily on these shipments to power its fighter jets, tanks and military vehicles in its onslaught on Gaza, but also to fuel the bulldozers used to raze Palestinian homes in the West Bank.

OCI researchers, who tracked 65 oil and fuel shipments to Israel between 21 October last year and 12 July, found that collectively these countries had supplied 4.1m tonnes of crude oil to Israel since its war on Gaza began.

Almost half of the exports had been shipped since the ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in January which ordered Israel to stop its genocidal acts in Gaza and warned that its allies risk facing charges of “complicity in genocide” should they continue to support it.

The court’s advisory opinion on the legality of Israel’s presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, which it issued in July, also concluded that all states are “under an obligation not to render aid or assistance” in maintaining the Israeli occupation.

The research found that almost 80 percent of US exports of jet fuel, diesel and other refined petroleum products to Israel were shipped after the ICJ ruling.

While Azerbaijan remains Israel’s leading supplier of crude oil, Italy, Albania and Greece also supplied unrefined oil to the country following the ruling.

The report also found an increase in African supplies. Gabon remains the primary crude oil supplier to Israel, but shipments are now also arriving from Nigeria and Congo-Brazzaville.

Meanwhile, Brazil is responsible for 9 percent of crude oil shipments to Israel since 7 October, also sending a tanker of fuel to Israel in April. 

The report noted that Brazilian President Ignacio Lula da Silva, who has been sharply critical of Israel’s actions in Gaza, could push for a ceasefire by imposing an oil embargo.

The OCI analysis also outlined the role of corporations in supplying fuel to Israel since the ruling, finding that just six major international fossil-fuel companies – BP, Chevron, Eni, ExxonMobil, Shell and TotalEnergies - could be responsible for 35 percent of crude oil supplied to Israel since October.