LONDON: Countries and companies were warned on Tuesday that supplying fuel to Israel amid its war against Hamas in Gaza could make them complicit in crimes against the Palestinian people.
A report commissioned by Oil Change International was published on Tuesday, titled “Behind the Barrel: New Insights into the Countries and Companies Behind Israel’s Fuel Supply.”
It highlighted the continued and expanded oil supply to the Israeli war machine since October last year, and argued this could be a contravention of an International Court of Justice opinion from January, which opined Israel could plausibly be committing genocide and that Palestinians in Gaza had plausible rights under the Genocide Convention, and another from July suggesting the occupation of Palestinian territory was unlawful.
Research in the report found that 65 shipments of crude oil and refined petroleum products were delivered to Israel from Oct. 21 last year to July 12 this year, adding that 35 of these (54 percent) departed their port of origin after the Jan. 26 ICJ ruling.
Among other key findings of the report were how investor-owned and private oil companies could be complicit through their operations and ownership stakes in projects supplying oil to Israel.
It said these firms collectively supplied 66 percent of Israel’s oil, with six major international oil companies — Chevron (8 percent), BP (8 percent) ExxonMobil (6 percent), Shell (5 percent), Eni (4 percent), and TotalEnergies (5 percent) — responsible for more than half of that figure at 35 percent.
According to some legal scholars, these companies could be held liable for complicity in acts of genocide, given the ICJ ruling.
“The current genocide in Gaza, against Gazan people and Palestinian environment, targeting intensively all elements of life in Gaza, is fueled by some of the world’s most profitable fossil fuel companies,” said Abeer Butmeh, coordinator at Palestinian Environmental NGOs Network.
“(They) must be held accountable for potential violations of international law, as they are putting themselves in a hook of the war crimes and genocide by supplying oil to Israeli armed forces that deliberately make Gaza not habitable any more,” she added.
David Tong, the industry campaign manager at Oil Change International, said the actions of big oil firms showed a stronger regard for revenue than the humanity and dignity of Palestinians suffering in Gaza.
“By deciding to keep supplying fuel to Israel despite the ICJ’s rulings that Israel’s occupation of Gaza is unlawful and that Israel’s actions may have violated the Genocide Convention, big oil companies are showing once again that they value profits above human rights and a safe climate,” he said.
“Every day that Chevron, BP, Exxon, Shell, Eni, and TotalEnergies provide fuel to Israel these companies expose themselves to potential legal action for their complicity in genocidal acts against civilians in Gaza.”
The report also concluded that the US continued to be a key supplier of JP8 jet fuel to Israel, crucial for the continuation of its military operations in Gaza.
“The shipments are coming from the Valero refinery in Corpus Christi, Texas. This supply chain is particularly controversial in the context of the US election, where continued military aid for Israel is under scrutiny,” the report said.
“In early August, the US-registered Overseas Santorini, one of the key tankers involved in supplying US jet fuel, docked in Israel’s Ashkelon port, facing increased protest from communities and activists en route,” it added.
The report also named Kazakhstan, Brazil, European countries Italy, Albania and Greece and this year’s UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) hosts Azerbaijan as significant suppliers of crude oil to Israel.
Nicole Oliveira, an executive director of the Arayara Institute in Brazil, said the country had a “political global responsibility not only to reduce oil production to stop fueling the climate chaos, but also to avoid fueling conflicts.”
She continued: “Our actions carry significant weight, and Brazil’s role in the global energy landscape can either exacerbate turmoil or be leveraged to advocate for peace and environmental sustainability.”
Pro-Palestine groups have demanded an embargo on all energy and arms shipments to Israel until it ends its violence against Palestinian people. The Oil Change International report cited the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions BDS movement’s calls for a boycott of oil companies, and highlighted Colombia’s actions to stop energy exports to Israel.
“Countries, as well as oil and gas companies, must be held to account for their role in perpetuating violence and human rights abuses,” it said. “Colombia has set a strong precedent and issued an embargo on coal exports to Israel until the ICJ ruling is upheld. Colombian coal makes up over 50 percent of Israel’s coal imports,” it added.
Lorne Stockman, the director of research at Oil Change International, said that, despite the ICJ’s ruling condemning the unlawful occupation of Palestinian territory, countries and companies continuing to supply oil that fuels Israel’s military aggression in Gaza revealed a “blatant disregard for international law and human rights, as they prioritize profit over justice and peace.”
