I am an oil worker at Brazil’s state-owned company, Petrobras; a union leader in Brazil’s National Federation of Oil Workers; and a member of the Movimento Revolucionário dos Trabalhadores, the sister organization of Left Voice in Brazil. We have publicly declared our opposition to Brazil’s delivery of oil and other fuel to Israel. At our congress in June, more than 100 delegates representing oil workers from different parts of our country voted unanimously to take this position. We have been demanding through protests, letters, and other initiatives that Petrobras and the Brazilian government stop all oil exports to Israel. We furthermore support the demand that Brazil cut all diplomatic, military, and commercial ties with Israel. To aid this effort, and to support initiatives to block, strike, and hinder the Zionist state and its army, I want to share what we know about who supplies Israel with oil and refined products like gasoline and diesel. The flow of oil speaks louder than UN speeches and exposes governments complicit in the genocide and the companies profiting from it.
Israel relies on some of the dirtiest energy sources in the world, and it is extremely dependent on fossil fuels, including coal for power plants. Oil plays an increasingly significant role in its energy mix. Israel’s barbarism in Palestine walks hand in hand with its disproportionately high contribution to climate change.
How Much Oil Does Israel Import?
Let’s begin by examining the Zionist entity’s fuel consumption. The following graph from the Kpler platform shows Israel’s oil imports, highlighting a significant drop in crude oil imports since June 2025. Why?
Because Israel has two refineries: one in Ashdod and another in Haifa. The Ashdod refinery had a scheduled maintenance shutdown, and the Haifa refinery suffered damage in June from a legitimate retaliation by the Iranian state.
The graph also reveals aspects of Zionist logistics and the struggle of workers and peoples in solidarity with Palestine. Almost all of Israel’s oil imports come through the Ashkelon seaport, where pipelines connect to both refineries. Israel relies solely on this Mediterranean port for its oil imports, and this is something new; it was not the case in 2023 and 2024. The light blue bar at the beginning of the graph, representing the Eilat terminal on the Red Sea, has disappeared due to actions by the Houthis from Yemen, which have prevented operations there.
With the sharp drop in crude oil imports, Israel has become more dependent on refined products from other countries. The curve for refined products rises steeply in contrast to the decline in crude oil imports.
Where Does Israel Get Its Oil From?
Israel’s main sources for crude oil are Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, via the port of Ceyhan in Turkey and the Russian port of Novorossiysk. Various ports in Africa, including Nigeria, Gambia, and Egypt, are also involved. Egypt, a neighbor to Palestine, keeps the Rafah border closed to humanitarian aid but allows oil flow from the Sidi Kerir, Zeit Bay, and Marsa Al Hamra ports.
The graph also highlights that Turkey, despite declaring an energy embargo on Israel, continues to allow Azeri oil to leave its Ceyhan port. It also illustrates Russia’s key role in perpetuating the genocide.
Which Companies Supply the Oil?
It is no surprise that the entities ensuring Israel’s supply are imperialist powers and their corporations, along with Azerbaijan, which provides 21 percent of the oil through its state company, SOCAR. TCO, a company owned by Chevron and Exxon located in Kazakhstan, ties for first place. In third place among known sources is KPO, another imperialist company in Kazakhstan controlled by Italy’s ENI and the Anglo-Dutch Shell. Then there is KPV, a joint venture of Kazakhstan’s state-owned company with British Petroleum (BP), , while imperialist traders like Glencore, Vitol, and Petraco account for 14 percent. The oil giants Exxon and Shell deliver directly, not through their subsidiaries in Kazakhstan, contributing another 6 percent, leaving 12 percent for all other companies.
This is the 2025 picture for crude oil. In 2024, countries with governments that nominally criticize Israel for committing genocide, and even recognize a Palestinian state, such as Brazil, increased their exports by 51 percent compared to 2023. In other words, amid the genocide, my country increased its material relationship with Israel, revealing Lula’s government complicity despite his rhetoric. We see the same with the Spanish State, whose prime minister recently announced measures against Israel, yet products continue to flow from REPSOL-controlled refineries to this colonialist state.
For refined products, the situation differs from that of crude oil. Since June, when imports of refined products by Israel increased significantly, Israel seeks sources closer to the IDF for security, ensuring that their tanks remain supplied with diesel.
Who Is GOI Energy, Israel’s Main Source for Refined Oil Products?
GOI Energy is a subsidiary of the Zionist group Bazan, which controls the ISAB refinery in Sicily, Italy. The second-most important known source is the Saras refinery, controlled by the Swiss trader Vitol, located in Sardinia, also in Italy. Following closely is Valero, a Texas-based giant.
Indirectly, via Italy, countries like Brazil play a crucial role in supplying fuel for the genocide. The Saras refinery alone was responsible for 28 percent of Israel’s imports in June. Where did the crude oil refined in Sardinia, en route to Ashkelon and then Gaza and Ramallah, come from? A significant portion came from Brazil, almost 20 percent.
In June, 33 percent of that oil came from Petrobras, the state-owned company, and 67 percent from Equinor, the Norwegian state company through its operations in Brazil. In July, it was Shell, and in August, it was Prio, a company controlled by imperialist funds like Vanguard Group and BlackRock.
As with the Kazakh example, we see a growing presence of imperialist oil monopolies. It is no surprise that oil extracted in Brazil, Kazakhstan, and many other countries ends up being sent to the imperialist sentinel in the Middle East, Israel.
This is a source of growing greenhouse gases, wealth for Wall Street, and suffering in Gaza. This is the role of oil from Brazil, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and other countries. These resources must be controlled by workers so that we can radically change production, not only to stop fueling genocide but also to halt profits and global warming.
We, the workers, cannot remain passive, waiting for governments and companies to act. Even in countries where governments like Lula in Brazil or the PSOE in the Spanish State declare themselves opposed to the genocide, they are complicit in allowing the trade to continue, further fueling the genocide. The working class and students can stop it. The Italian workers, with their general strike on Monday, September 22, are a major example for us.
We, the workers who move the world, can take action into our own hands, halting the production and delivery of oil, weapons, and other goods to Israel, and contributing to the struggle of the Palestinian people. The struggle of the Palestinian people is at the heart of the international struggle against imperialism and capitalism. Its victory will strengthen the fight of workers and all the peoples of the world. Our generation is witnessing this unspeakable genocide, but we also see the rise of a historic, unprecedented solidarity movement. We, the workers, can decisively strengthen this movement and contribute to a free Palestine, from the river to the sea.