Petro Questions Israeli Aid After Colombia Earthquake: «Don’t Expect Much from Genocidal Nations»

Original article: Petro cuestiona ayuda de Israel tras terremoto en Colombia: “No esperes mucho si viene de genocidas”

Former President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, criticized Israel’s aid to the South American country following the 7.4 magnitude earthquake that struck on Monday, August 10.

«Don’t expect much help if it comes from genocidal nations,» the ex-leader stated in a message shared on his social media, referring to the announcement by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who ordered the «immediate» dispatch of a rescue mission to Colombia.

According to a statement released by his office on Wednesday night, «Israel will provide comprehensive assistance to the State of Colombia.»

In his message, Petro responded to the decision by newly elected Colombian President Abelardo De la Espriella’s government to only accept rescuers from countries that are ideologically aligned with his administration, such as Israel, El Salvador, Ecuador, and the United States (U.S.) to assist in the recovery operations in the affected areas.

“Colombia will only accept teams from Israel, El Salvador, Ecuador, and the United States that meet international protocols, are autonomous, and serve to reinforce rather than replace the capabilities of Colombian rescuers,” reported David Tamayo Roldán, the new director of the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD), as hundreds of thousands of affected Colombians cry out for assistance and support to overcome the dire situation.

“Restrictions on countries do not include other types of aid,” clarified Foreign Minister Omar Bula.

In this regard, the leader of the Historical Pact warned that “it is a mistake to impose ideological filters on international aid.”

“International aid is for humanity and for life, period,” he emphasized.

The ex-president’s criticisms align with those voiced by opposition representatives, who argue that the current head of state failed to consider humanitarian aids and rescuers from countries that do not align with his political stance.

De la Espriella Prioritized Humanitarian Aid from Countries Aligned with His Ideological Stance

In another message shared on social media X, Gustavo Petro revealed a private conversation he had on August 10, when the earthquake occurred, with Javier Pava Sánchez, who at that time was serving as the director of the UNGRD, since he had not been relieved of his duties following the arrival of the new government.

According to the letter Petro presented, Pava, who was in charge of the initial response hours to the emergency, disclosed some of the decisions made by De la Espriella at the moment of the earthquake.

“This is the message sent to me by the UNGRD director at the end of my government, which lasted until last night during the emergency response,” the ex-president wrote, then shared the message confirming that the far-right leader prioritized humanitarian aid from countries aligned with his ideological stance.

“Good morning, President, on Tuesday night amidst the national PMU, they appointed the new UNGRD director. I had to work with ADE (Abelardo de la Espriella) and his cabinet in the first hours of the earthquake response to advance urgent operational activities to save lives, but it is necessary to define the model of response, the priorities, the allies, and the funding scheme where it is impossible to work with them because the differences are vast, where their fundamentalist political interest and neofascism prevail. They prioritized international aid from Israel, El Salvador, Peru, Ecuador, and the U.S. to strengthen their alliances over the concrete needs of the territories,” reads the publication.