Thursday, July 19, 2018

Just like a good neigbor. Israel and Syria.

“It’s strange for us that Israel is more humanitarian than our Arab brothers."
Ammar, father of two, from Syria

The 7 year old civil war in Syria has left nearly 500,000 people dead. 5.6 million have fled the country and over 600,000 are internally displaced. Despite being officially at war with Syria, Israel has provided hundreds of tons of food, medicine, clothing, gasoline and essential medical equipment to the war-ravaged Syrian people. It has also treated nearly 5,000 wounded Syrians in Israeli hospitals and clinics.

In the last week alone, Israel has provided 300 tents, 28 tons of food, three pallets of medical supplies and 30 tons of clothes and shoes to Syrians . The NGO Fly Aid provided the aid with an undercover unit of all Arabic speakers. The NGO has 3 units worldwide, and provides aid to countries that do not have diplomatic ties with Israel.

From the Independent:
Syria conflict: Injured civilians turn to historic foe Israel amid Deraa bloodshed

Despite being told there is no place for them in Israel, Syrian families camped close to the Israeli border say if it was permitted they would consider relocating to Israel, even after decades of fierce hostilities.

“Escaping the killing machine of Russia and the militia forces has made us think of allying with what we consider to be the devil. We all think about going to Israel but it is not allowed. Everyone is trying to escape death because the Jordanian border is blocked,” says Ammar, 27, a father-of-two who is in Rafid, on the border.

“It’s strange for us that Israel is more humanitarian than our Arab brothers. I once even heard people saying they hope that Israel would include this area in the Golan,” he adds.

Israel. Operation Good Neighbor. Tikkun Olam in action

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