Posted on 12/29/2004 8:58:21 AM PST by My Favorite Headache
Sri Lanka accepts Israel's offer to send medical supplies, but not IDF delegation
By Haaretz Staff and Agencies
A 150-member Israeli aid delegation canceled its mission to Sri Lanka yesterday after the government in Colombo refused to accept the Israeli team, Israel Defense Forces officials said.
The plane was due to touch down in Colombo for a few hours and return directly to Israel. The Sri Lankan government, however, declined the offer, saying it only needed humanitarian supplies at this time.
The Sri Lankan president's military secretary sent a notice to his foreign and defense ministries yesterday expressing support for the arrival of a smaller 50-member Israeli delegation. "We are not opposed to a plane loaded with medical supplies, food and blankets that will be accompanied by a medical team comprised of 50 IDF people, as the Israeli Foreign Ministry requested in a letter," the military secretary said.
Israel is sending supplies at Sri Lanka's request, including 10,000 blankets contributed by the IDF, tents, nylon sheeting and water containers. The IDF Home Front Command is organizing aid preparations.
The Israeli humanitarian organization Latet ("To Give") sent a separate aid package yesterday, filling a jumbo jet with 18 tons of supplies worth $50,000, at Sri Lanka's request. The group is considering sending additional aid shortly.
The aid delegation that had been set to depart for Sri Lanka yesterday included medical teams and representatives of the IDF and Defense Ministry, who were planning to provide humanitarian assistance and participate in search-and-rescue operations.
The delegation was planning to assemble a medical facility comprised of specialist doctors, and set up emergency, internal medicine and pediatric departments, as well as laboratory and X-ray facilities in the southern part of Sri Lanka.
A far smaller team landed in Sri Lanka on Monday night, headed by four doctors from Hadassah University Hospital, Ein Karem in Jerusalem. The team was carrying medicine and baby food.
The doctors - who specialize in rescue operations, trauma and pediatrics - were also checking the viability of setting up a field hospital in the area, and advised Israel to send a larger team, such as the one Sri Lanka rejected.
"We will advise Israel and the Foreign Ministry... to send something more massive," said Dr. Avi Rivkind, director of Hadassah's trauma unit. "We will try to use our... broad experience in dealing with terror attacks and rescuing masses to help in this disaster as well."
Israel is considering sending similar delegations to Thailand, where more than 1,400 people have died, and to India, where more than 9,500 people have died or are feared dead, but has yet to make a final decision on the matter.
A Health Ministry contingent left for Thailand late Monday night to aid in the rescue efforts there after around 1,000 people, including tourists, were killed on the islands of Phuket and Phi Phi. The contingent includes doctors, nurses and four members of the IDF, Israel Radio reported.
Israel has also offered its assistance to India, passing on the offer to Indian authorities through Israel's military attache, Colonel Moshe Krawitz. The IDF offered aid of two kinds - a search-and-rescue team from the Home Front Command, as well as consignments of food and medicine.
A ZAKA rescue-and-recovery team left for the disaster areas Monday night. In addition, the police sent a team of forensic experts to Phuket.
Changed my mind..I do have a comment...we will take your money but no jews allowed...yep...that's the part of the world I remember and know all too well.
A tragedy is no reason to stop hating.
They have one of the best emergancy releif teams in the world, they train others and they were sent away. Folks,this sheds so much light on the world over there imo.
Beggars shouldn't be choosy.
Took the words...
Emergency and relief...lmao..sorry my sudden disgust made me lose my spelling abilities...lol.
Guess who else did not want the IDF helping during a disaster? G. W. Bush, who turned them down after 9-11.
Would we have wanted foreign troops in Florida, helping out?
On a thread last night about this matter another freeper reminded us that we refused Israel's offer to send personnel to clean up the WTC because we didn't want to offend our Muslim "friends". If that's correct, it was the dumbest decision we've made in quite some time.
Source, please? I certainly never heard this.
If I recall, no one has shown any thing to back up that claim.
Can you help with this? It was on a thread last night that you mentioned we turned down Israel's help after 9/11.
Sounds odd considering we have NATO flying planes across our country though...I have never heard that story before.
We had NATO planes flying over us which could have done a hell of a lot more damage than a guy on the ground. You can't compare what has happened in Asia to Florida and I lived through 3 of the storms right over my house. We are talking about bodies piling up as high as skyscrapers and search and rescue operations that have not even begun yet on small islands.
I would take the help.
I've asked for back-up on this matter because I don't remember this either.
Doesn't Israel have a crack search and rescue team?
Yes -- the very same one that had planes on the tarmac and ready to fly here on 9/11, but were turned down for fear of offending our Muslim "allies."
43 posted on 12/28/2004 3:01:56 PM EST by NYC GOP Chick
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