Thursday, January 14, 2010

Israel Sends Assistance to Haiti; Also Expects Major Earthquake

Israel, which has two fault lines crossing its tiny boundaries, is itself expecting a major earthquake that could occur anytime in the next 50 years. As such, Israel's Home Front Command has developed new rescue techniques for earthquake stricken zones and was quick to send aid, including 40 doctors and five search-and-rescue teams, to beleaguered Haiti:

"El Al airlines announced Thursday morning that it was sending two planes, one cargo and another for passengers, to the stricken nation. The operation was being conducted under the authority of the Home Front Command.

An advance five-member IDF-Foreign Ministry team left for Haiti Wednesday afternoon, taking with it experts in engineering, medicine, logistics and rescue operations from the IDF's Home Front Command and Dani Saban, the head of the Caribbean and Central America Desk at the Foreign Ministry."

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1263147885750&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Israel regularly sends such assistance to countries that have suffered earthquakes and building collapses, among them Turkey. Turkey, however, now governed by Erdoğan's Islamic-inspired Justice and Development Party, has made a point of cooling relations with Israel in favor of improved ties with Syria and Iran. Israel's 1999 rescue mission to Turkey, which succeeded in saving nine Turkish quake victims and providing needed field hospital care, has long been forgotten.

Instead, Turkish television viewers are being bombarded with episodes from fictional series, which depict Israelis as child murderers and baby abductors and which have resulted in a diplomatic incident. Meanwhile, Israeli tourists are canceling planned vacations in Turkey.

Turkey's Prime Minister Erdoğan remains extremely critical of Israel, and on Monday at a joint press conference with Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri in Ankara, he lambasted Israel for violating Lebanon's airspace and using disproportionate force against Palestinians in Gaza.

Perhaps Erdoğan would care to comment on Kurdish aspirations for independence and discuss reparation payments to Armenia? Not a chance.

No comments:

Post a Comment