Israel Sends Rescue Teams To Help With Turkey's Earthquake--Along With Iran And IHH

Immediately after news of the earthquake disaster in Turkey, the Israel government made preparations to extend emergency assistance. On August 17, Israel Air Force planes airlifted the Israeli team, comprising 250 persons, as well as sophisticated rescue equipment and rescue dogs. The Israeli team began almost immediately to work at several locations, in coordination with the Turkish government.

On August 18, an additional IAF plane was sent to Turkey, carrying the staff and equipment for a field hospital, which will comprise two hospital wards for adults and children, an isolation room, an operating room, an X-ray laboratory, two clinics, and medical equipment.

The Search and Rescue team of the IDF Home Front Command, established in its present form in 1984, performs search and rescue operations in Israel and abroad, in both routine and emergency situations.
Israeli Aid for Turkish Earthquake Victims

The above is from the website of the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The above is also from August 1999.

And now Israel will be helping out Turkey once again
--after all, Turkey helped Israel put out the Carmel fires by sending 2 firefighting planes.

Boaz Bismuth writes that despite his firm rejection of Israeli aid, Erdogan came around:

It appears that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan also understood that there are situations in which personal or national honor are not at the top of the list of priorities, niether for the leader nor for the nation. Humanitarian aid must come before all other considerations in situations such as these. Erdogan apparently thought for the first 48 hours of this disaster that he could handle it alone, based on Turkish abilities (and Turkey does have many). But sometimes a little help from one's friends can't hurt, even if a black cat has recently crossed the path between the two.

Those affected by the earthquake legitimately expect help. Their fury, apparently, reached Ankara. Erdogan then turned to the proper addresses, including Israel.

The irony is that in providing earthquake relief for Turkey, Israel will be working with both Iran and the IHH, the terrorist-affiliated group behind the Mavi Marmara.

Perhaps some good will come of this in the foreign relations arena.
In the meantime, the focus is on the good that will come to the victims of the earthquake.

Technorati Tag: Israel and Turkey.