An IDF soldier with aid to the Philippines |
Aid at a glance
ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK: $500m emergency loans and $23m in grants
AUSTRALIA: $9.3m package, including medical staff, shelter materials, water containers and hygiene kits
EUROPEAN COMMISSION: $11m
JAPAN: $10m, including tents and blankets. 25-person medical team already sent
SOUTH KOREA: $5m plus a 40-strong medical team
INDONESIA: Logistical aid including aircraft, food, generators and medicine
UAE: $10m in humanitarian aid
US: $20m in humanitarian aid, 90 marines, aircraft carrier plus logistics support
UK: $16m (£10m) package including emergency shelter, water and household items. HMS Daring deployed to region
From this list, Israel is conspicuous by its absence.
Philippines-bound Israeli troops at Ben Gurion Airport |
This present instance is called Operation Island of Hope, and, as reported here, on Monday
'a lead expedition of five search, rescue, and medical experts arrived in Tacloban, Philippines and formed a situation assessment determining the urgency for a rapid IDF response. Based on this assessment the of the Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Benjamin (Benny) Gantz, order to deploy a large-scale delegation to the disaster zone.
Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, IDF Spokesman:
“The Home Front Command has soldiers and officers who excel in the fields of search and rescue and highly professional medical doctors experienced in such complex missions. Over the years they have been to Japan, Haiti, Ghana, Bulgaria, and Turkey, where they diligently donated from their resources and knowledge to those in need.”
An advanced multi-department medical facility, equipped with approximately 100 tons of humanitarian and medical supplies from Israel, will be rapidly established in the city of Tacloban to provide medical care for disaster casualties. The facility will be constructed of a children’s department, a women’s department, an ambulatory care department, and a general admission department, operated by IDF doctors, nurses, paramedics, pharmacists, mental health professionals, x-ray technician, and lab workers.
The delegation comprises of officials in the National Search and Rescue Unit of the Home Front Command headed by the unit commander, Colonel Ramtin Sabti, as well as senior doctors in the IDF Medical Corps, headed by the Vice Surgeon General of the IDF Medical Corps, Colonel Doctor Dudu Dagan.'1500 toys are being provided to the children of the devastated region, and a team almost 150-strong flew out of Ben-Gurion Airport on Wednesday.
There really is no excuse for the BBC's silence: it certainly knows of the existence of the official IDF blog (to which I've linked above), which is choc-a-bloc with news, videos, and photographs, and is constantly updated.
So, will the BBC (like Israel-baiters on social media who have never a kind word for the Zionist Entity) stay shtum indefinitely? We shall see ...
I have submitted a complaint and await a reply.
ReplyDeleteTheir response will be interesting, Corin!
ReplyDeleteI have noticed this glaring omission, too. It is really shameful! There should be widespread praise for Israel's generosity.
ReplyDeleteYes. Little does the mass of the public know.
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